Today is election day

Kuwait elections to be fair, transparent - observers vow
2/1/2012 10:23:00 PM | World News

(With photos) KUWAIT, Feb 1 (KUNA) -- A few hours before the start of the parliamentary elections, Kuwaiti and international observers vowed Wednesday to do their best to render it successful, fair and free.
In a press conference held at the 2012 Election Media Center, Ministry of Interior Assistant Undersecretary for Public Security Major General Mahmoud Al-Dosari said Kuwaiti people were keen on protecting their democratic experiment.

Al-Dosari applauded His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's approval of Kuwait Transparency Society's participation in monitoring the election.

A subcommittee has been formed in cooperation with Kuwait Municipality to monitor campaigning in streets and inside polling stations, Al-Dosari disclosed.

Chairman of the Arab NGO Network for Development Ziad Abdul-Samad believes the Arab region has great potential and a lot to offer.
"We are trying to propose laws to ensure free and fair elections and to allow all to participate," he said.
He added that the monitoring team has recorded several positive points in the electoral law such as the measures that must be taken to guarantee the secrecy of voting.
Abdul-Samad added that the electoral law criminalizes electioneering in worship places, educational institutions, bribery and use of trade unions and professional associations' funds in elections campaigns.

Abdul-Samad said the age of vote in Kuwait is 21, relatively high compared with other countries whose people get the right of vote at 18.

For his part, Head of Kuwait Bar Association Khaled Al-Kandari underlined the importance of transparency of the electoral process. He added that vote counting process will be open and transparent.

Meanwhile, Kuwait Journalists Association member Waleed Al-Ahmad said the government is eager on rendering the electoral process successful and transparent through approving civil society organizations participation in monitoring it.
He noted that Kuwaiti media has played an instrumental role in enriching the political experiment.

Kuwaiti people enjoy the freedom expression but this freedom should be accompanied by responsibility and self-censorship.
He added that this is done through the exchange of experience, stressing the need to develop civil society contribution in the democratic process.

Thursday's election is the country's second in a three-year period. Kuwait had voted on seven occasions between 1991 and 2012.

There are 287 candidates running for 50 seats, including 23 women. There are 400,296 eligible voters in Kuwait.