305 candidates competed for 5 districts
Kuwaitis elect members of the National Assembly 2022
Kuwaitis wait outside a polling station to cast their votes during the parliamentary elections in Kuwait City.
EPA
A Kuwaiti woman casts her vote at a polling station during the parliamentary elections in Kuwait City.
AFP
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Yesterday, Kuwaitis voted to choose 50 deputies for the new National Assembly 2022 (Parliament) out of 305 candidates, including 22 women, in the first polling process in which voting is carried out using the civil card, and in light of the addition of new regions to the districts.
The total number of eligible voters is about 796,000 (388,000 men and 408,000 women), meaning that women's votes constitute 51.25%, compared to 48.75% of men's votes in the five constituencies.
The elections were held in 118 committees, under the supervision of the judiciary, and according to the one-vote system, which means that each voter has the right to vote for only one candidate, while five headquarters were chosen to be the main headquarters.
The Acting Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Interior, Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, began an inspection tour in the morning of the electoral districts, starting with Al-Jahra Governorate in the fourth district, to follow up on the progress of the process.
The police, security forces and traffic organized the entry and exit of voters and journalists.
The Red Crescent Society provided mobile seats for the elderly and those unable to move, while lists of voters' names were arranged alphabetically in front of each committee.
The official agency quoted the Kuwaiti Minister of Justice, Counselor Jamal Al-Jalawi, as saying that "the electoral process proceeded normally, and all the measures that were taken brought the desired results," expecting that the voter turnout would be "standard."
He stressed that the Ministry of Interior had taken strict measures to prevent vote buying, by-elections, and all election abuses.
Al-Jalawi said that the heavy attendance in the first hours of the National Assembly elections 2022 indicates that these elections will be different, and will witness a large percentage of participation that exceeds all previous percentages.
He explained that the recent modification of the voting method by Kuwait led to great satisfaction, as every citizen can cast his vote according to his personal card.
Al-Jalawi pointed out that there is a hotline supervised by the judiciary to receive complaints and observations in all electoral commissions.
The former National Assembly Speaker, Marzouq Al-Ghanim, cast his vote in the National Assembly elections in the second constituency at Maan bin Zaida School in the Abdullah Al-Salem suburb, stressing that he will serve his country from everywhere.
Al-Ghanim said: "Today is a democratic wedding in which the people choose their representative in the National Assembly, and hold him with a great historical responsibility, embodied in his aspirations and wishes."
The former National Assembly Speaker, candidate for the third constituency, Ahmed Al-Saadoun, also cast his vote in one of the Abdullah Al-Otaibi secondary committees in Al-Khalidiya area.
With the opening of polling doors, which extended for 12 hours, the first hour of voting witnessed a remarkable presence of elderly people, who were the first to attend to cast their votes.
A remarkable activity was noticed by the delegates of the candidates at the gates of the original committees from abroad, receiving the voters, in light of the strictness of the Ministry of Interior and the Kuwait Municipality in preventing the establishment of electoral booths and headquarters in front of the committees.
The polling closed at eight o'clock yesterday evening, when the counting of votes began, in preparation for the announcement of the official results, and the nomination of the winners of the council's membership for the next four years.
After the results are announced, the government submits its resignation to make way for a new government, taking into account the election results and the balances of the new parliament.
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