KUWAIT: The court of cassation on Sunday upheld a decision to bar four top candidates, all former lawmakers, from contesting the April 4 parliamentary polls because they were convicted of taking part in the outlawed tribal primary elections. The verdict is final and cannot be challenged. This means that only 200 candidates will remain in the fray for the 50-seat National Assembly. These candidates include 46 members of the dissolved Assembly, in addition to 20 former MPs from previous assemblies. There are 13 women still in the race.

The four barred candidates — Marzouq Al-Hubaini, Jaber Al-Muhailbi, Ahmad Al-Azemi and Marzouq Al-Khalifa — were among 14 candidates disqualified by the elections committee over their criminal records. Hubaini, Muhailbi and Azemi are all from the fifth constituency. Khalifa was running from the fourth constituency.

Meanwhile, another candidate who was disqualified over his criminal record, was tried in the criminal court on Sunday for allegedly insulting a prominent Kuwaiti bedouin tribe. The court then set April 14 to issue its verdict. The candidate is in jail serving a 21-day detention ordered by the public prosecution.

With only three days left for the snap parliamentary elections, nightly campaigns intensified with candidates calling for distributing Kuwait’s huge wealth to citizens and for subjecting the issue of nationality under the jurisdiction of court.