By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s financial and economic affairs committee on Sunday approved a proposal to increase social allowance for children from KD 50 to KD 100 per child every month, head of the panel said. MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri said the allowance would apply to any number of children, scrapping the current limit of seven children. The proposal must be approved by the Assembly and then accepted by the government to become effective.

Since their election on June 6, a majority of lawmakers have been pressing the government to improve the living standards of Kuwaiti citizens, saying the last time wages were increased was over 10 years ago. Meanwhile, MP Saud Al-Asfour on Sunday called for lowering the voting age for Kuwaitis from 21 to 18 and also called for allowing servicemen in the police force and the armed forces to vote, lifting a decades-old ban.

The proposals were made by Asfour as part of a number of amendments he proposed to the election law which was passed by the Assembly in the first reading on Thursday. The interior and defense committee will be studying further amendments to the law before passing it in the second and final reading. The main theme of the law calls for the establishment of a high election commission for the first time to supervise and organize parliamentary elections.

The commission will consist of seven senior judges. Other amendments proposed by Asfour include calling to make the duration of the seven judges for just one four-year term renewable for one more term. He also proposed that the law must categorically state that political prisoners who were convicted of offending HH the Amir will be able to run in elections.

The current law bars them for life from running for public office. Meanwhile, MP Jenan Bushehri, the only female member of parliament, on Sunday submitted an amendment calling to remove a clause in the election law requiring women voters and candidates to abide by sharia laws. She said women should not be singled out in this clause.