By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The National Assembly resumes its regular sessions on Tuesday after the Eid Al-Adha break with a number of reform draft laws high on the agenda, including several bills to reform the law governing the constitutional court. The Assembly’s legal and legislative committee held a lengthy meeting on Monday to study several draft laws dealing with the constitutional court. The meeting was attended by the justice minister and a number of constitutional experts.

Constitutional expert Ibrahim Al-Humoud said after the meeting he believes the committee intends to stop the court’s authority over elections. Meanwhile, five MPs submitted a draft law calling to grant children of Kuwaiti women from foreign husbands a host of rights to make their life more comfortable, as they are not automatically granted citizenship. The bill calls for granting these children the right to government jobs immediately after Kuwaiti nationals, in addition to granting them equal pay and benefits like their Kuwaiti counterparts.

Under the bill, they are also entitled to government assistance if they get jobs in the private sector, like Kuwaitis. These children should also enjoy the right to permanent Kuwaiti residency from birth and a Kuwaiti civil ID valid for five years, renewable for similar durations. The proposed bill also provides children of Kuwaiti women the right to establish companies without a Kuwaiti partner, as is required for foreigners. They should also be entitled to free education, healthcare and the right to inherit one property from their Kuwaiti mothers.

Five MPs also submitted a draft law calling to abolish a law that deprives persons convicted of offending HH the Amir from running for public office. The bill calls to re-register all Kuwaitis who had been barred from contesting the National Assembly elections because they were convicted by court of charges deemed offensive to HH the Amir.

Other MPs have already submitted draft laws calling to amend the law by cancelling provisions that bar convicts from political life. Also, MP Marzouq Al-Ghanem on Monday met Narjes Ahmad, a bedoon or stateless girl who scored 99.4 percent in the recently-concluded higher secondary examination. Ahmad wanted to study medicine but was unable because she is a bedoon, but Ghanem pledged he will enable her to study at the medical college by bearing all the costs. The girl thanked Ghanem for his gesture.