Kuwait’s top court bars 21 candidates

Kuwait’s Cassation Court, the country’s top court, has turned down challenges by 21 candidates who had been barred from contesting in the parliamentary elections on November 26.

The ruling on Monday dashed the last hopes of the candidates to seek seats in the next legislative term.

They were among 47 people whose candidacies were refused by the electoral committee tasked with checking all applications to ensure that the required conditions were fulfilled.

The requirements include an impeccable moral reputation and clean security records. Some candidates had their applications rejected for not completing their electoral registration as per the regulations, and in one case an application was turned down after the applicant, staying aboard, did not return to Kuwait and sought to register by proxy.

Some of the applicants then took their case to the Administrative Court which ruled in favour of some of them. The government then appealed to the Court of Appeals to have the rulings reversed. The Cassation Court is the authority to make the final decision

The list of the 21 candidates barred by the Cassation Court includes former lawmaker Safa Al Hashim, opposition candidate and ex-MP Bader Al Dahoum, controversial former lawmaker Mohammad Juwaihal, and Shaikh Malek Al Humood, the only member of the ruling family bidding to contest.

A report in the Kuwaiti daily Al Seyassah said that the Court of Cassation sat through a marathon session and deliberated the cases from 10 in the morning until 6.15pm.

Kuwaitis will elect their 50 lawmakers on Saturday amid assurances by officials that all security precautions have been taken to ensure a smooth operation.

The return of several opposition figures who boycotted the last elections is expected to heat up the race.

Kuwait is divided into five electoral districts and the top 10 candidates who poll the highest number of votes in each district will be elected to the parliament for a four-year term.

The last parliament was elected in 2013, but it was dissolved last month by the Emir

source : gulfnews