By Yousuf Awadh Al-Azmi

was absent from minds is that the right is attached to duty, and people are the ones who create their own charter and their new social and political order when they change what is within." - Malik bin Nabi

We read in the news during the past few days about several issues related to the elections of the next National Assembly, expected to be on Sept 29, including the issue of byelections, in which the government action was obviously decisive and judicial action was taken against one of the tribes as some of its members were accused of organizing such elections. It is clear that the rest of the tribes whose members intended to organize similar byelections changed their minds after the government's seriousness on implementing the law became clear. It is ironic that the byelections law is a parliamentary product and a law in its regard was passed by the National Assembly, and I learnt at the time that the government was not enthusiastic towards this law!

The electoral lists issue also dropped a good number of voters including former politicians based on judicial rulings that sparked controversy among the public, and much of this controversy still exists. As the case is with any elections, these matters became a "winning horse" for candidates' campaigns. There are candidates, some of whom are running for the first time, whose statements are characterized with the voters' lists and banning of several former politicians. Many former MPs also used such issues in their promises in case they return to parliament, although several of them were in previous parliaments which did not seriously discuss the issue of election lists, and I do not know whether that was against the wishes of former MPs due to rules of bringing forward or delaying proposals or what?!

Also in the local news was the announcement of former speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun and his candidacy for the upcoming elections after boycotting all previous elections since the annulment of the Feb 2012 Assembly. He had heated statements against the one-man one-vote rule, but I do not know the rule on which the seasoned parliamentarian based his convictions to become a candidate in elections that has the one-vote rule, if there was not a major change in the general situation related to elections!

It is true that there are new characteristics at the local level, but the core of elections did not change, and of course, I agree that "politics is the art of the possible". The rule of this principle is fixed and stands change according to varying situations, so it is highly possible to understand the stand of Saadoun, but he did not present any justification for changing his stance and running in elections of which he was the biggest critic and the way voting is done in them!

There are talks about the intention of Saadoun to seek the speakership of the next parliament, and this was clear in the statements of many candidates expected to win, and maybe the most important is the statement of candidate and former opposition MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri in support of Saadoun running for speaker. This means he made two announcements at the same time - the first is that he will not be a candidate for the speakership and the second is supporting Saadoun's candidacy.

I think Saadoun relied on the statement that the government will not interfere in the speakership elections, so his calculations are that his chances of winning will be easier, but I believe that his candidacy in case former speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem is present as a candidate for the same post will not be easy (Ghanem has not declared his candidacy for the National Assembly elections so far). So, the situation for both Ghanem and Saadoun is very difficult, and I believe the coming days are full of news that may decide the issue of the speakership, most important of which is that the elections are very difficult to start with, and the third constituency, where Saadoun has decided to run, will not have a rosy road.

Also for the other candidate, the second constituency's characteristics will change in case he announces his candidacy there. It is clear that matters are not as used to be in elections, especially after the approval of voting with the civil ID, but in case Ghanem does not run and Saadoun succeeds in the third constituency, then he may get the speakership by acclamation.

Politics has quicksands and does not settle on one ground, while elections sometimes have violent storms that uproot plants. I think the next elections will have heavy surprises and neither Ghanem nor Saadoun may reach the parliament itself and the speakership, as elections are according to the one-vote system, changed to vote according to the civil ID, and here I remember the famous traffic rule: Expect the unexpected!