When asked about his plans in case he wins in the upcoming elections, former Deputy National Assembly Speaker Dr Mohamed Al-Busairi revealed the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) will put inflation on top of its priorities. “The previous Parliament has presented a number of recommendations to curb the rising prices of goods in the market but the Cabinet failed to execute these suggestions. The government should solve several pending issues with transparency and sincerity,” Al-Busairi opined. He also stressed the need to stop the malpractices of greedy merchants, who manipulate the prices of goods to earn higher profits.
Affirming Kuwait needs a cooperative and productive Parliament, Al-Busairi said the previous Parliament wasted a lot of time on confrontations. He also asked the new Parliament to prioritize the Fund for the Needy and find a suitable solution to the loans write-off issue. Meanwhile, Abdullah Rae Al-Fahma asserted the previous Parliament was keen on cooperating with the government but, he said, “it was difficult to work with a Cabinet that had no vision or clear agenda. Approval of many vital laws was delayed despite Kuwait’s huge budgetary surplus due to the inefficiency of the Cabinet.” Al-Fahma also accused the government of creating conflicts prior to the election of a new Parliament. In case he wins a seat in the next Parliament, Al-Fahma vowed to take action against Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled Al-Sabah for the harsh implementation of laws against diwaniyas and primaries. He added the Ministry should enforce laws without resorting to oppression. He also predicted a 50 per cent change in the next Parliament.
Urging voters to choose the right candidates, Islamist Dr Jamaan Al-Harbash pointed out the outcome of the elections lies in the hands of voters. Affirming that the previous Parliament has passed vital laws, he said “the 2006 National Assembly has accomplished what parliaments before it have failed to achieve”. He also asked the next Parliament to ratify the Property Declaration Law as well as a law on the establishment of the Consumer Protection Society. Commenting on women’s participation in the elections, Al-Harbash believes women will again fail to win a seat in the Parliament but he expects a change of more than 50 per cent. On the other hand, Dr Aseel Al-Awadhi — the first Kuwaiti woman who won the support of a political bloc — revealed she will focus on granting freedom to citizens which, she said, is the foundation of democracy.
Standing for elections from the Third constituency under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Al-Awadhi added she will also push for the implementation of educational reforms based on the principle that education is the basis of development. Al-Awadhi revealed the Alliance will work against laws, which discriminate women and deprive them of their rights. Denouncing allegations that women have failed in previous elections, Al-Awadhi stressed women were successful in creating their niche in Kuwait’s political arena. She hopes women will make it to the Parliament this time.
Following are the candidates who registered Tuesday:
First constituency (14 candidates)
Ameen Sayed Youssef, Badr Jaafar Abdullah, Jameel Merza Abdullah, Hussein Ali Al-Farraj, Salem Matheeb Al-Atheena, Abdullah Youssef Al-Kandari, Fouad Mahmoud Al-Baghli, Faisal Abdulwahab Bourusli, Mubarak Salem Al-Harees, Mohammed Rashed Al-Hafaiti, Mohammed Salem Al-Sanafi, Mohammed Abdulrasoul Mohammed, Hani Sayed Ali and Youssef Abdullah Al-Sanafi.
Second Constituency (15 candidates)
Bassam Ali Al-Bassaam, Jamaan Thaher Al-Harbash, Khaled Sayaah Al-Azmi, Khaleda Abdelhai Al-Khidr, Rashed Salman Al-Habeeda, Abdulrahman Fahad Al-Anjeri, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahia, Ali Fahad Al-Rashed, Ali Houd Mubarak, Mohamed Jassem Al-Saqr, Mohamed Abdullah Al-Jaader, Mohammed Hazaa’ Al-Hajeri, Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem, Mersal Saad Al-Maajedi and Mansour Ahmed Al-Haini.
Third Constituency (12 Candidates)
Ahmed Rashed Al-Othman, Aseel Abdulrahman Al-Awadhi, Homoud Abdullah Al-Tawheed, Khaled Abdulrazak Al-Khaled, Shaikha Eissa Al-Ghanem, Sadek Mohamed Al-Bassam, Saleh Mohamed Al-Mulla, Adel Abdulaziz Al-Sarawi, Abdullah Yousef Al-Mayouf, Faisal Hamad Al-Mazyan, Faisal Ali Al-Otaibi and Waleed Abdulreda Al-Saffar.
Fourth Constituency (14 candidates)
Badr Mohsen Al-Mutairi, Hamede Kanaas Al-Mutairi, Khaled Hamad Al-Mohanade, Daifallah Fadeel Aburamya, Fadhel Hassan Al-Sabbagha, Fahad Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, Fahad Mohamed Sharaar, Faisal Khaled Al-Saeed, Mubarak Mohammed Al-Wa’alan, Mohamed Abdulhadi Al-Hossaini, Mohammed Mohsen Al-Bosairi, Mohamed Hayef Al-Mutairi and Motlak Owaid Al-Atri.
Fifth Constituency (13 candidates)
Bekhiet Ali Al-Marrei, Bandar Mezyad Al-Otaibi, Khaleel Abdullah Abdullah, Saleh Mohamed Bahman, Daifallah Nahar Al-Otaibi, Abdullah Akash Al-Abdalli, Abdullah Rae Al-Fahma, Fares Faihan Al-Otaibi, Fahad Mohammed Ali, Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ajmi, Mithker Souad Al-Mutairi, Mouusa Darweesh Abbass and Nadia Mostafa Ali. Meanwhile, some candidates in the upcoming parliamentary election have accused others of using ‘dirty’ money to purchase votes. According to reliable sources, allegations on the rampant vote-buying in the Second, Fourth and Fifth constituencies intensified after the announcement of the official registration period for parliamentary election candidates, which started Monday.
Calling on the Interior Ministry to strictly enforce the law against vote-buying and exhaust all legal means to protect democracy, Second Constituency candidate Dr Awadh Al-Enezi claimed those who purchased votes in previous elections are using the same tactic to win in the next elections. He stressed “Sulaibikhat is not for sale. Residents in this area have the freedom to choose the right candidate and they will not exchange their votes for ‘dirty’ money.”
On the other hand, Al-Umma Party candidate from the Fifth Constituency Abdullah Akash revealed “dirty cash is pouring into the constituency for the purchase of votes.” Sources claimed one of the candidates purchased around 4000 votes at KD 500 to KD 1000 per vote. Sources added majority of those who sold their votes are women. In other developments, sources said Al-Awazem and Al-Ajman tribes have one group of candidates each while the third group will be announced after the meeting of Al-Otaiban tribe on Friday. Sources added the third group will consist of candidates from Al-Hawajer, Al-Dowaser and Al-Mutairan tribes. Other sources revealed Al-Rashayda tribe will meet this weekend to finalize its list of candidates. Sources disclosed the tribe might meet in the stables in Kabad, far from the residential areas, to mislead government investigators.
Meanwhile, security sources warned both the organizers and participants of tribal elections will be referred to the Public Prosecution for interrogation. Moreover, First Constituency candidate Mubarak Al-Hares called for the dissolution of the incumbent government and proposed the forming of a new Cabinet based on qualifications and abilities. “We need a strong government with the ability to deal with the current situation in the country. The incumbent government lacks a clear strategy, which is crucial at a time when we are passing through a difficult phase in our history,” Al-Hares added. On the contrary, a candidate for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from the Third Constituency praised the government for its decision to postpone the implementation of a law against public gatherings.
