KUWAIT: Several lawmakers are discussing a draft law to increase the number of constituencies from five to ten while entitling each voter to a maximum of two votes, said sources with knowledge of the development.
The draft law would alter the current electoral system under which Kuwait is divided into five constituencies where citizens are entitled to a single vote each. This system came about following a slight modification by an emergency decree last September.
Before that, citizens could vote for a maximum of four candidates. "The draft law is being proposed by MPs from different constituencies who plan to forward it during the early phase of the parliament's work," said the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, hinting that the draft law might be given priority "in topics to be discussed by the parliament's interior and defense committees." The MPs behind the proposal believe that the current system has failed to provide justice to citizens when it comes to demographic distribution, and hope to provide a more acceptable system that prevents problems similar to the boycotting campaign against the singlevote system.
Thirty six MPs had gathered at MP Ahmad Al- Mulaifi's dewaniya on Tuesday in what was described as a "get-to-know gathering" which also featured discussions and coordination regarding topics to be discussed when the parliament convenes on December 16th.
Following the meeting, Al-Mulaifi indicated that "maintaining the state's safety and security was agreed to be given top priority," while MP Saleh Ashour asserted "full rejection of the idea of giving a post in the Cabinet to an individual who boycotted the elections or called for boycotting it." In other news, former Dean of Kuwait University's Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, Dr. Mohammad Al-Tabtabaei, announced that the "Conference of Sharia Scholars in Kuwait plans to meet soon in order to discuss the ongoing internal relations and ways to curb them before it is too late." Al- Tabtabaei also urged the public to "abide by the law and avoid practices that increase the risk of danger against the country and the public."
© Kuwait Times 2012
