(MENAFN- AzerNews) Voters on Tuesday will head to the polls in Kuwait's seventh
legislative election in just over a decade, following repeated
political crises that have undermined parliament and stalled
reforms, Azernews report, citing Al Arabiya.
More than 793,000 eligible voters will have the chance to
determine the make-up of the 50-seat legislature in the only Gulf
Arab state to have an elected parliament with powers to hold
government to account.
Polling centers are expected to open at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) and
close 12 hours later, with the results to be announced the
following day, the official Kuwait News Agency said.
“My vote is a right and a duty,” said Kuwaiti citizen Ibrahim
Shehab, urging others to participate despite concerns over voter
apathy.
“I hope that all Kuwaitis who are entitled to vote will follow
my example to protect democracy,” he told AFP.
Kuwait's emir, Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, called the vote last
month after he had again dissolved parliament amid a persistent
deadlock with the executive branch that has deterred investment and
impeded growth.
A total of 207 candidates are running for a four-year term as
lawmakers, the lowest number in a general election since 1996.
They include opposition figures and 13 women.
Since Kuwait adopted a parliamentary system in 1962, the
legislature has been dissolved around a dozen times.
In March, the constitutional court nullified the results of last
year's elections – in which the opposition had made significant
gains – and ruled that the previous parliament elected in 2020 be
reinstated instead.
Constant stand-offs between the branches of government have
prevented lawmakers from passing economic reforms, while repeated
budget deficits and low foreign investment have added to an air of
gloom.
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