With the start of the countdown for Kuwait’s legislative elections, 207 candidates, including 15 women, are in a race against time to persuade undecided voters to cast their ballots.
The elections to select members of the National Assembly are expected to be held on June 6.
Some observers and analysts noted that the lack of enthusiasm among the voters was due the political atmosphere in the country, which led to the formation of three legislative councils during the last four years, with the dissolution of parliament twice and the annulment of the elected National Assembly in 2022 based on a decision by the Constitutional Court.
On March 19, the Court issued a ruling annulling the elections of 2022, and the return of the speaker and all members of the former National Assembly (Majlis 2020), which was previously dissolved in August of the same year.
This was not the first time that the Constitutional Court in Kuwait had annulled an election and reinstated a council that was dissolved by decree. In 2012, the court issued a similar ruling to nullify the elections, dissolving the elected legislature, which was dominated by the opposition.
As the date of the upcoming elections is approaching, electoral campaigns have started, with candidates trying to persuade reluctant voters to cast their votes.
In this context, Kuwaiti writer Jassem Al-Hamar told Asharq Al-Awsat: “I do not see any reluctance to participate in the elections.”
He added: “So far, the people’s participation in electoral seminars and campaigns on social media show a desire to renew the blood and support highly qualified candidates.”
“We are expecting a change in the political class, and a new approach to political action,” he concluded.
The presence of prominent names such as former speakers Ahmed Al-Saadoun and Marzouq Al-Ghanim, along with a number of parliamentary blocs, constitutes a motive to mobilize the eligible voters to participate in the elections.
