Traditional modes of campaigning remain ‘vital’
Amid anticipation and excitement, the upcoming 2024 National Assembly, held during the month of Ramadan, is seen as proving grounds for candidates to showcase their agendas and reach the much-coveted seat at parliament. While election campaigns in current times focus on spreading candidates’ ideas and convictions through social media and fast-spreading video content, traditional modes of campaigning remain essential for candidates and voters alike.
Speaking on the issue at KUNA, head of the political science department at Kuwait University (KU), Dr. Haila Al-Mukaimi, said that due to elections being held during the holy month of Ramadan, it would be understandable that votes might feel a bit less energetic as a result of the spiritual and social-gathering nature of the month. However, the academic pointed out that holding meetings with voters directly, despite fasting, remains a key component of the election cycle and a vital means for candidates to connect with voters, she added.
She pointed out that elections in Kuwait garnered attention from countries in the region and elsewhere, touting on this occasion the highly transparent nature of elections in the country. Back to the direct connection between candidates and voters, Dr. Al-Mukaimi said that by being face-to-face with eligible voters, candidates could directly address their concerns and aspirations without any obstructions or obstacles. On her part, professor of international relations Dr. Masouma AlMubarak affirmed that voters were highly interested in engaging with election campaigns, searching for all venues to directly converse with candidates on real-life platforms, whether forums, meetings, or other types of gatherings.
She argued that Ramadan would have a positive impact on the electoral process due to the presence of many eligible voters in the country during the holy month. She noticed that voters were flocking to election headquarters to see their potential candidates and ponder their agenda and messages. Dr. AlMubarak called on candidates to avoid quarreling and focus on national unity and service to the people, indicating that the advent of Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayers, and good deeds, might help to heighten people’s spirituality of goodness.
Also providing his input, Dr. Hussein Murad, an associated mass communications professor at Kuwait University (KU), stressed the vitality of election headquarters for candidates, saying that social media presence was not enough to lure voters. He indicated that some headquarters have also become places for Taraweeh prayers during the occasion of Ramadan, which highlights the special nature of this election, similar to the one held in 2013.
He said that voters were keen on attending rallies at candidates’ headquarters, adding that without them, any election would lose its oomph. Similarly, mass communications and public relations professor at KU, Dr. Ahmad Al-Kanderi, said that the presence of many eligible voters in the headquarters of parliament hopefuls reflected Kuwaitis’ deep democratic convictions. Traditional methods of campaigning still remain key in luring voters due to their straightforwardness, and that is a vital component, he said, pointing out that candidates could spice up their campaigns by boosting their social media presence, which is also part of the election lore.