Voice Of People Resonates In Elections 2020

The runup to general elections for the 16th legislative term of Parliament on Saturday was a relatively muted event overshadowed by the COVID-19 crisis and health precautions in place to prevent spread of the virus. There were hardly any indications of the verve and almost carnival-like atmosphere that had marked previous elections in Kuwait.

The month-long campaign period was also an insipid affair with large election tents and colorful public congregations not visible anywhere as they were not permitted this time around; most canvassing was confined to the virtual world on social media platforms.

In view of the ongoing pandemic, the government had laid out strict procedures for conducting this year’s polls, with all voters having to wear masks and gloves, maintain social distancing, and have their temperatures recorded before entering the polling stations. Each of the 102 government schools requisitioned for use as voting centers, had a clinic set up at the venue to conduct the necessary checks on health condition of voters.

The authorities had also set aside five of the voting venues, one in each governorate, exclusively for use by coronavirus patients wanting to cast their vote. The separate facilities had to be opened as the Fatwa and Legislation Department had ruled last week that every eligible voter had the constitutional right to participate in the electoral process.

The department affirmed that the authorities were obliged to provide necessary safe conditions for voters who were in quarantine to cast their vote, and that the law penalizing those who break their quarantine was not applicable in these cases.

On Saturday, people initially trickled in individually or in small family units when polling stations opened at 8am. There was a steady uptick in voters as the day progressed, with people braving inclement weather that continued through the day and fear of getting infected by coronavirus, to cast their votes.

As the authorities prohibited people from congregating outside polling stations, people came, voted and quietly left without lingering around to exchange small talk with other voters. There was also none of the usual confusion surrounding voters arriving at one center only to discover their names were registered at another center, as this year the authorities had launched an online platform that allowed voters to locate the polling station assigned to them in their respective electoral districts.

Barring a few stray incidents of misunderstandings among representatives of candidates, the elections to the 16th legislative term of parliament was a tame affair that drew to a close at 8pm, with vote counting beginning almost immediately after curtain fall.

After registrations ended on 4 November there were a total of 395 candidates including 33 women. A week before elections, on the last date for withdrawal of candidature, the list had been trimmed to 342 candidates with 54, including two women, withdrawing their names.

The total number of candidates is not only higher than the number that contested in 2016, they also represent a broader swathe of contestants with differing political views, more women and younger age group representation than the previous election. The contestants are vying for the 50 seats spread over five constituencies that elect 10 candidates each. Electors will cast their single non-transferable vote for their chosen candidate, with the 10 candidates receiving the most votes being declared the winners from each constituency.

A record 31 women candidates are running for office in this year’s elections; in the 2016 election fray there were only 15 women contesting and of those only one made it through the doors of parliament four years ago. Safa Al-Hashem, a three-time parliamentarian and lone female elected representative in the last parliament is once again running this time from the third electoral district.

The increase in number of women candidates in this election fray is in itself quite remarkable considering that women gained suffrage only in 2005. With many of the public policies and laws in Kuwait often overlooking women’s perspective, or ignoring the challenges faced uniquely by women, having more ladies contesting is definitely a positive and progressive step, and probably a harbinger of more female representation in future parliaments.

Voter turnout has been increasing in Kuwait during recent elections. The last National Assembly election in 2016 saw a 70 percent voter participation among the 483,000 registered voters.

By contrast, voter turnout in the just concluded general elections in the United States was 67 percent, a number that is being heralded as the highest voter participation in the last 120 years. Election turnouts in several other democracies have of late been falling, and more enthusiasm in Kuwait elections is a sure sign of democracy slowly and steadily entrenching in the country. Candidates are hoping that despite the COVID scare a significant number of the 567,694 registered voters will turn up to cast their votes this year.
Votes to the 16th National Assembly term will be counted based on the Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) system, a contentious model introduced in 2012. The late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad issued an amiri decree in 2012 that changed the electoral system from a four-voting system to a single non-transferable vote.

In the SNTV, eligible voters can cast only a single vote for one candidate out of the 10 allotted seats in the constituency. Critics argue that this system leads to boosting tribalism, family loyalties and the buying of votes, with meritorious candidates often sidelined in the process.

The controversial implementation of SNTV in 2012 led to boycott of elections by certain sections, the wounds from which still remain raw in the minds of many. Other contentious issues in the runup to the current elections include perceived corruption, swindling of public funds, demographic imbalance, education, and the long-festering Beidoun issue. Surprisingly, the lack of economic reforms that lies behind many of the challenges facing the country today, did not feature on the election platform of most candidates contesting the elections.

Irrespective of their political affiliations, whether nationalists, Islamists, liberals or of other tinges, it is quite evident that there will continue to be strident calls in the incoming parliament for reforming the electoral process, fighting corruption, speedier Kuwaitization of jobs, resolving the issue of stateless people, and more xenophobic rhetoric surrounding expatriates. This could mean even more of the same confrontations and obstructions that have marred legislative sessions in the past, and have been the hallmark of many lawmakers. Economic reforms, constructive work and progressive policies benefiting the country and people are expected to be of low priority to the new parliamentarians preparing to take their oath of office.

It is telling that a recent opinion poll held during this year’s campaigning period found nearly half of the respondents viewing the performance of lawmakers in recent parliaments as totally ineffective; only less than three percent of survey participants held a more favorable or appreciative view on the effectiveness of their elected representatives.
Unhappiness over the performance of the 15th legislative term is evident from the results of Elections 2020. Many incumbent lawmakers, among them several veteran parliamentarians, have failed to retain their seats. Among the prominent lawmakers to have lost their seats are Adel Al-Damkhi and Saleh Ashour from the first constituency; Omar Al-Tabtabaei and Riyadh Al-Adasani from the second; Khalil Abul and Mohammad Al-Jabri, along with the lone woman lawmaker in the previous parliament, Safa Al-Hashem, from the third constituency.

The biggest surprise from the fourth constituency is the reported failure of veteran lawmaker Mohammad Hayef to find a seat this time around. Other incumbents who could not muster enough votes to make their way to the National Assembly from the fourth constituency were Ali Al-Deqbasi and Faraj Al-Arbeed. While in the fifth constituency, sitting lawmakers Faisal Al-Kandari and Al-Humaidi Al-Subaei were also not among the 10 winners selected to represent the constituency in parliament.
Outgoing parliament speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem retained his seat in the second constituency with a thumping majority while leading opposition figure, Hassan Jowhar, who had boycotted previous elections in protest against the changed voting rules, won convincingly from the first constituency.

Article 91 of the Kuwait Constitution states that before assuming duties in the Assembly or in its committees, a member of the National Assembly must take the following oath before the Assembly in a public sitting: “I swear by Almighty God to be faithful to the Country and to the Amir, to respect the Constitution and the laws of the State, to defend the liberties, interests, and properties of the people, and to discharge my duties honestly and truthfully.”

Maybe this oath needs to be repeatedly flashed on the screens of the revered Abdullah Salem Hall in Parliament to remind lawmakers of their primary obligation and why they are there in the first place. As the oath underscores: ‘to discharge their duties honestly and truthfully to the people of Kuwait’ — not just to the demands of a small coterie of voters in their constituency, or in order to foster the narrow parochial interests of the lawmakers.

 

SOURCE: TIMESKUWAIT

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