Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanim has backed the establishment of a higher electoral commission to supervise the organization of fair elections.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Al-Ghanim said: “My message, which a majority of MPs share with me, is the call to return to the people, the source of all powers, to elect their representatives through fair elections."
He called on the Assembly to approve a draft law for the establishment of a higher election commission that will oversee the election process.
The Kuwaiti Constitutional Court issued a verdict on Sunday annulling the results of the 2022 National Assembly elections, due to discrepancies in the decree dissolving the previous parliament.
The ruling also stipulated the return of the speaker and all members of the former National Assembly to complete the remaining legal term of the parliament, which is 21 months, before calling for new legislative elections.
Underlining the need to hold transparent elections, Al-Ghanim called for guaranteeing the integrity of all constitutional and legal procedures.
“This is a historic responsibility that is achieved by working hard to pass the law of the Higher Elections Commission and other laws related to the electoral process, which guarantee the safety, correctness, integrity and transparency of the procedures,” he stated.
Following the constitutional court’s decision, the National Assembly Office convened Monday, chaired by Al-Ghanim, in the presence of Deputy Speaker Ahmad Al-Shuhoumi, Secretary MP Faraz Al-Daihani, head of the legislative and legal committee MP Obaid Al-Wasmi, head of the financial and economic affairs committee MP Ahmad Al-Hamad, and Secretary General Khaled Buslaib.
Speaking at the press conference, Al-Shuhoumi noted that last year’s parliamentary elections were marred by a series of violations. He added that thousands of barred voters were allowed to cast their ballots, calling for probing the election process and investigating alleged violations committed at the polls.
Twenty-seven deputies, who were elected in September, will have to leave the parliament, while 23 parliamentarians will continue their term as members of the previously dissolved council.
Meanwhile, 28 MPs from the reinstated Assembly submitted a motion in which they demanded swift approval of draft laws related to the election process, especially the establishment of a higher election commission to oversee the entire election process and ensure no violations are committed.
