Two ex-MPs among 47 new candidates – One candidate withdraws

Fuente: 
Kuwait Times
Fecha de publicación: 
07 Jul 2013

Two former MPs, Jamal Al-Omar and Mohammad Al-Huwailah, were among 47 new candidates who registered to run in the July 27 election, raising the total number of hopefuls to 339 with just two days more for registrations. Mishari Mohammad Al-Anjari however became the first candidate to withdraw from the race yesterday. Pulling out of the race is open until 10 days before the actual election day. Registration closes tomorrow.

Huwailah, who joined the opposition in boycotting last December nullified polls, called on all Kuwaiti voters to take part in the election process in order to make it successful and achieve the aspirations of the people. He said that political instability in Kuwait has been the main cause behind the country’s slow-paced development process and the Kuwaiti people bear a huge responsibility in selecting members of the next Assembly.

Former MP Omar said after registering that the June 16 ruling of the constitutional court represents the majority of the Kuwaiti people and as a result participating in the election process has become a national duty. He said that Kuwait is not shielded against the influence of regional developments and “we require national unity to ward off such impacts”. He pointed out that Kuwaiti people are paying the price of this political standoff.

Omar stressed that the circumstances surrounding the next Assembly differ from those in the past house because there were some doubts about whether the single-vote law was in line with the constitution or not. The former pro-government lawmaker said there is no legal or constitutional justification for the opposition’s announced boycott of the polls because the boycott means breaching the constitution.

Meanwhile, new candidate Mohammad Al-Enezi appealed to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to issue a general amnesty against youth activists and former opposition MPs who are implicated in political cases, mostly on the accusation of insulting the Amir. Several youth activists are already serving various jail sentences while other activists and former MPs are also on trial for similar accusations. Enezi said that all people are liable to committing mistakes but its better if a pardon is issued for those activists and a new page is opened with them while forgetting the past.
By B Izzak, Staff Writer

http://news.kuwaittimes.net/two-ex-mps-among-47-new-candidates-one-candidate-withdraws/