180 volunteers from ‘Nazaha’ to cover parliamentary polls

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Training course held for volunteers

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 28 : The Public Authority for Combating Corruption (Nazaha), in cooperation with the Kuwaiti Transparency Society, organized a training course for the society’s volunteers participating in covering and monitoring the National Assembly elections 2020 scheduled for next Dec 5.

The Assistant Secretary for the Supervision Sector at Nazaha, Abrar Al-Hammad, expressed her happiness with the participation of 180 volunteers in this training course to monitor the elections after the decision of the Council of Ministers to allow the Transparency Society to monitor the elections as a community monitoring role to ensure transparency during the elections and the correctness.

She added, “We were proud of the participation of these volunteers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and today we are most proud that we have volunteers to fight corruption.” She pointed out that the training course program is to train and educate young people about the election law, the code of occupational conduct for the observer, aspects of combating corruption, its types and effects in order to unify the concepts and to impart on the volunteer his/her duties, rights, procedures and limits. She added that the aim of the session is to raise awareness of how to prevent corruption in the electoral field, and to increase the values that enhance integrity and combat corruption.

Regarding the role of “Nazaha” in the elections, Al-Hammad said that the authority has a role in the process of facilitating the tasks of observers who will visit Kuwait in cooperation with the Transparency Society, whether facilitating their visit to the country or facilitating their movement, pointing out that the monitoring process will have a kind of transparency by allowing them to enter the committee halls and will prepare a report that Nazaha will review.

She added that this report is important to Nazaha, as “We have read their previous reports and learned of the flaws, so it is important for us to read a transparent and accurate report to know the pros and cons of the electoral process.” She explained 11 observers from Arab countries will visit Kuwait, and Nazaha representatives will meet with them on Dec 3, noting that the procedures for their entry into the country have been adopted in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice with regard to hosting them in Kuwait and the quarantine and movement process and facilitating their tasks.

For his part, the constitutional expert, Professor of Public Law, Faculty of Law, Kuwait University, Dr. Muhammad Al-Feely said that according to the procedures announced by the government administration, a method has been organized that guarantees people infected with the virus their right to contest and vote, as “we are always looking for a way to reconcile these interests, and within the framework of the democratic system the electoral process takes place and through it, the nation expresses the sovereignty it possesses, with consideration to protecting the public from the risks of the spread of epidemics.”

Al-Feely added that if the specialists decide that it is possible to reconcile these two interests, they will not cancel the other, and there are models in other countries, and that this matter has been completed, and the apparent situation confirms that reconciliation between the two interests is possible through taking measures. He pointed out that on the day of the election there is a need to lay down a special corridor for those infected, and there is nothing wrong as long as this does is done in a proper manner.

Al-Feely said: Voting takes place in accordance with the established law, rules and regulations and the constitution specified this election law, and that these rules currently govern the electoral process and accordingly the voting takes place at the election site, pointing out that if the law is amended as this matter exists in other countries the ballot box goes where the voter is, there is nothing wrong, but until the law is amended, it must be respected.

Dr. Feely explained to the volunteers the election law while the association presented an overview of the electoral observer’s code of conduct the most important procedures on polling day. The head of the Kuwaiti Transparency Society Majed Al-Mutairi said the volunteers participating in the training course said the training period will end after briefing them on some general procedures.

By Abdel Nasser Al-Aslami Al-Seyassah Staff

This news has been read 10252 times!