KUWAIT: The constitutional court on Tuesday rejected a petition challenging the rights of children of naturalized Kuwaitis to run in parliamentary polls. The petition had argued that a law issued in 1994 allowing children of naturalized citizens to contest elections breached the constitution and should be canceled. Under Kuwaiti law, naturalized citizens have no right to contest parliamentary polls for life, but their children are considered Kuwaitis by birth and accordingly are allowed to contest National Assembly elections.

Kuwaiti citizenship is divided into several categories based on the way citizens had obtained their nationality. Kuwaitis, who or their ancestors had been in Kuwait before 1920, are considered native Kuwaitis or first-degree citizens and have unrestricted right to vote and run for public office. The petition demanded that contesting parliamentary polls should be restricted to first-degree citizens and that children of naturalized Kuwaitis must be banned from running in elections.

The court rejected the motion, saying that those who submitted the petition failed to explain the damage, if any, to national interests if children of naturalized Kuwaitis are allowed to contest polls. Rulings by the constitutional court are final and cannot be challenged. The constitutional court also decided on Tuesday to throw out all challenges related to the April 4 parliamentary polls cause the National Assembly has been dissolved and the petitions have become meaningless.

In another ruling, the constitutional court accepted to look into a petition submitted by Chairman of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mohammad Al-Sager demanding that a law issued by the National Assembly about the chamber should be declared unconstitutional. The law scrapped the special status accorded to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry since it was established over seven decades ago and treated it as a department under the ministry of commerce and industry. The court will begin looking into the case on July 10.

Meanwhile, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of Interior, and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Investigating Kuwaiti Citizenship Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah chaired a meeting of the committee, attended by the Head of the Central Agency for Remedying the Status of Illegal Residents Saleh Al-Fadalah, Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Al-Sabah, Chief of the General Staff of the Army Lt Gen Bandar Al-Muzain, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Lt Gen Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah and other committee members.

Sheikh Fahad expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the work and efforts made by the committee, stressing this translates the contents of the noble speech of HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in maintaining national identity and the unity of society. During the meeting, the committee discussed the items on the agenda, reviewed the committee’s efforts and examined several new issues, making decisions accordingly.