Candidature prohibition on core offences upheld; Ruling keeps two out
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KUWAIT CITY, Sept 25: The Constitutional Court has dismissed the petition on the constitutionality of Clause Two, Article Two of National Assembly Election Law No. 27/2016 that prohibits citizens convicted of offending God, Prophets (Peace Be Upon Them) and the Amiri entity from contesting the parliamentary elections. The court affirmed the constitutionality of this clause; asserting that those convicted of offending God, Prophets (Peace Be Upon Them) and the Amiri entity cannot represent the nation. The court added that a lawmaker starts his parliamentary task by taking oath, including his commitment to be loyal to the Amir.
On the other hand, the Court of Cassation nullified the verdict of the Court of Appeals against the disqualification of candidates Khalid Shukhair and Musaed Al-Qraifa from the elections, arguing these two candidates were convicted of offending the Amiri entity; hence, they cannot stand for election.
Also, Second Constituency candidate Adel Al-Yahya filed a petition at the Constitutional Court to postpone the upcoming parliamentary elections until a decision is issued on the constitutionality of Amiri Decree numbers Five and Six for 2022. He said the elections must be postponed until a decision is issued affirming the constitutionality of voting based on the address in the civil identification card.
Meanwhile, former MP and First Constituency candidate Ali Abdulrasoul Al-Qattan — a Shiite/Independent — was born on Sept 14, 1978. He holds diplomas in Strategic Planning and Administrative Leadership, as well as Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Educational Administration.
He worked at the Department of Research and Planning in the Prime Minister’s Diwan, teacher at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), and Deputy Director of the Animal Resources Department at the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR). He represented Kuwait in the Arab League as consultant for planning and quality adjustment. He is a member of Kuwait Society for Human Rights and a columnist at Al-Anba daily. He first contested the elections in 2016 but he lost, ranking 16th in the First Constituency with 1,603 votes. He won in the 2020 elections with 3,320 votes that put him in sixth place in his constituency. Voting record During his tenure in the 2020 Assembly, Al-Qattan did not file any grilling motion and he supported the government most of the time.
• Grilling motion against Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali in January 2022: rejected
• Grilling motion against Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Muhammad in February 2022: rejected
• Grilling motion against Minister of Public Works Ali Al-Mousa in March 2022: rejected
• Lifting the parliamentary immunity of MPs Shuaib Al-Muwaizri, Muhammad Al- Mutair, Thamer Al-Suwait and MP Khalid Al-Otaibi: approved Statement Al-Qattan pointed out that “reform starts with the government.
Political action must be free of personal disputes and everyone must carry out his task honestly. I do not represent any sector or bloc, because I represent Kuwait and its people as a whole.” By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff and Agencies
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