One vote said to fuel ‘primaries’

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KUWAIT CITY, Oct 27: Fifty-five parliamentary hopefuls, including two women, filed their candidacies for the 2016 National Assembly elections on the ninth day of the registration period, bringing the total number of candidates to 412. Following are the candidates who registered on Thursday per constituency:

■ First Constituency (nine candidates) — Eman Ali Hayat, Jassem Sulaiman Al-Zayed, Khalid Abdul-Aziz Al-Shuaib, Abdul-Hameed Dashti, Abdullah Ahmed Ibrahim, Adnan Sayyed Abdul- Samad, Ali Abdul-Raheem Shamouh, Mubarak Salem Al-Harees and Mohammed Marwi Al-Hadiya

■ Second Constituency (eight candidates) — Jaman Al-Harbash, Hussein Hamad Al-Hardan, Hamad Mohammed Al-Matar, Humaid Furaij Al-Suleiman, Khalid Abdullah Al-Shatti, Salman Khalid Al-Azmi, Abdullah Hadrous Al-Bazali and Abdul-Wahab Ali Al- Jassar

■ Third Constituency (six candidates) — Ahmed Nabil Al-Fadel, Saudi Al- Samakah, Ammar Abdul-Aziz Asiri, Mohammed Abdul-Hadi Al-Otaibi, Hesham Hussein Al-Baghli and Waleed Abdullah Al-Ghanem

■ Fourth Constituency (12 candidates) — Ahmed Jadyan Al-Rashidi, Bader Mohsen Al-Motairi, Hussein Ali Al-Qallas, Khalid Saad Al-Rashidi, Saud Mohammed Al-Ruwaier, Shuab Shabab Al-Muwaeizri, Abdullah Hussein Baqer, Falah Zahar Awad, Mubarak Mohammed Al-Walan, Mohammed Awadh Al-Anazi, Nasser Ghazi Al-Daihan and Nayef Bader Al-Mutairi

■ Fifth Constituency (20 candidates) — SaifiMubarak Al-Ajmi, Bader Khalid Al-Mekrad, Turki Naif Al- Azmi, Jarrah Nawaf Al-Azmi, Hassan Shaban Gholoum, Khalid Abdullah Al-Mutair, Salem Namlan Al-Azmi, Saleh Mohsen Al-Otaibi, Ali Ibrahim Al-Anazi, Fahad Mohammed Al-Azmi, Majed Musaid Al-Mutairi, Manei Fahad Al-Ajmi, Mubarak Abdullah Al-Ajmi, Mohammed Hussein Al-Haddad, Mohammed Khalid Al- Hajiri, Mohammed Abdul-Rahman Al-Failakawi, Mohammed Monef Al-Otaibi, Mohammed Hadi Al-Huwailah, Wedad Bader Al-Qannai and Yusif Hashen Ashkanani Meanwhile, former opposition MPs Jaman Al-Harbash, Shuaib Al- Muwaizri, Mubarak Al-Walan and Selem Al-Namlan arrived together at the Election Affairs Department to file their candidacies Thursday.

Speaking to the press after completing the registration process, Al-Harbash pointed out the one-vote system is bad because it encourages illegal primaries and worsens sectarian strife. He added, “I believe that majority of Kuwaitis are keen on participating in the election in order to improve the situation.” He stressed that primaries used to be among tribes only but this illegal activity has now reached the level of sectarian strife.

He said their relationship and level of understanding with Ahmad Saadoun and Musallam Barrak are deeper than that of other people. He asserted, “Saadoun is a national symbol. We know who he is and he knows who we are, even if we differ in the direction towards participation.” On the other hand, Al-Namlan explained they consider their participation in the election a national duty due to the appalling political situation. He argued the opposition does not consist of troublemakers, indicating the previous parliaments were heading to the bosom of the corrupt.

“Therefore, we have to participate in the election and eliminate those involved in corruption,” he concluded. Also, Al-Walan stated that Kuwait is greater than any stance, grievance and issue. He said some issues like the cancellation of citizenship, which affected the family of former MP Abdullah Al-Bargash, journalist Saad Al- Ajmi and preacher Nabil Al-Awadi, have become burdens on the shoulders of Kuwaitis.

Furthermore, First Constituency candidate and former MP Adnan Abdul- Samad asserted, “Our bid to maintain political stability does not mean ignoring major issues that affect citizens. The next parliament must play a pivotal role in combating corruption.” He hopes the rate of participation in the upcoming elections and the return of those who boycotted the previous elections will affirm that they took the right step. “National unity is the real defense against regional tension,” he added.

By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff

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