Kuwait holds first parliament election under new Emir

Kuwait held national elections on April 04 for the fourth time in as many years as the oil-rich country seeks to break out of its longstanding political gridlock.

These are the first elections since Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber, 83, assumed power after the death of his half brother in December. The new emir dissolved parliament in February after a lawmaker reportedly insulted him.

The new Emir strongly criticised the National Assembly and the government in his first speech before parliament after taking office in December, saying they were "harming the interests of the country and its people".

Voters will chose among 200 candidates to fill 50 seats in the assembly. There are no political parties.

Domestic political disputes have been gripping Kuwait for years — including over changes to the welfare system — which prevented the sheikhdom from taking on debt. That has left it with little in its coffers to pay bloated public sector salaries, despite generating immense wealth from its oil reserves.

Parliament has been repeatedly dissolved after failing to move forward.

Amidst a notable turnout reflecting strong and positive participation, hundreds of male and female voters hurried to the polling stations as soon as they opened across various areas in the First Constituency, notably in Rumaithiya and Salwa. Dozens of voters in their vehicles were witnessed outside schools before the doors even opened, especially the elderly.

According to official data, the number of male and female voters who cast their votes in the First Constituency as of 2:00pm reached 4,845, or about five percent of the total number of registered voters in the constituency. By 2:00 pm, the number of voters at Daiya Joint School for Girls in the First Constituency stood at 330. This included 120 individuals from the electoral committee out of a total of 1,043, 100 from the first sub-committee out of 1,070 registered, and 110 from the second sub-committee out of 1,167.

According to the latest list released by the Ministry of Interior, the First Constituency comprises 104,038 male and female voters. The total number of committees is 93, with 45 designated for men and 48 for women. These committees are distributed among 16 schools. A total of 41 male and female candidates are competing for the ten seats, some of who are seeking to break the monopoly of a number of parliamentary seats in the electoral constituency.

In a statement to Al-Seyassah, Judge Muhammad Al-Sanea said the Muhammad Al-Shayji School Center for Girls in Rumaithiya received 150 female voters out of 1,458, or about ten percent, as of 2:30pm.

He said he is expecting the pace of voting to increase in the evening after breakfast (Iftar).