ShareKUWAIT: The cabinet is set to present to the parliament Sunday a draft law on National Assembly elections and establishing a higher commission for elections, the Center for Government Communication announced on Saturday.
It’s not clear what the draft law on elections will include, but setting up a higher commission for elections has long been a topic of debate in Kuwait, with many repeatedly question National Assembly election results in the absence of an independent body tasked with handling the process. Most recently, nine appeals have been lodged against the recent parliamentary elections, with some calling for recounting ballots.
Preserving election integrity
Currently, the interior ministry oversees all aspects of the election process, with civil society organizations approved by the cabinet monitoring the voting process and reporting possible violations to achieve transparency.
If approved, the commission would be responsible for supervising parliamentary elections and organizing electoral campaigns in coordination with governmental and non-governmental bodies concerned with elections. The role of the interior ministry under the new draft law is not currently known, but it appears that the commission will be affiliated with the National Assembly and managed by a board of trustees.
This is not the first time that the commission has been on the Kuwaiti government’s agenda. In 2012, a decree was issued to establish a “Supreme National Elections Commission” only to be invalidated soon after that by the constitutional court.
Activists and constitutional experts have also told the media over the years that having the commission as a supreme body to preserve the integrity of the electoral process is of great importance. In recent interviews with a local newspaper, constitutional experts stressed the importance of having an integrated constitutional and legal decree that contributes to enhancing the integrity and transparency of the elections.
An official with Al-Nazaha Society, a non-for-profit heavily involved with supervising the election process, said they are looking forward to the founding of a body which achieves “maximum transparency”, especially in light of the recent annulments, dissolutions and subsequent reinstatements of parliamentary sessions. A commission would, for example, keep a close eye on candidate campaigns, ensuring they adhere to regulations as is the case in many developed countries around the world, one expert told a local newspaper in 2020.
Many parliamentarians have historically rallied behind the concept of an electoral commission. Earlier this year, 28 members of parliament submitted a request to the Speaker of the National Assembly to approve the law of the High Electoral Commission to ensure the transparency of the electoral process.
“It is no secret that the past elections were marred by unprecedented suspicions, doubts and serious mistakes that compromised their integrity and prevented the real will of the voters to be shown in its true form, which requires an investigation to ensure the integrity and transparency of the electoral process, and the completion of the issuance of the necessary legislation, most notably the law of the High Electoral Commission,” they said.
