By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The interior ministry yesterday warned candidates running in the National Assembly election against hosting election gatherings in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, warning that stiff penalties will be applied against violators. The ministry has advised candidates to conduct their campaigns through social media.

The interior ministry also announced that a special committee has started screening the records of candidates to ensure that they conform to the conditions required by the election law. The committee has the right to disqualify candidates if they have previous criminal records or had violated the law. Those disqualified have the right to appeal the decision in court, which must make its decision before election day.

Yesterday, 42 candidates including two women filed their nomination papers on the seventh day of registration to run in the parliamentary election scheduled on Dec 5. With just three days remaining for registration, the number of candidates rose to 301 after one candidate withdrew. Registration ends on Nov 4, while withdrawal continues until seven days before election day.

The new candidates include eight MPs who hope to retain their seats, raising the number of sitting MPs who have filed to contest the election to 32 out of 50. In the first constituency, MP Osama Al-Shaheen registered, while Riyadh Al-Adasani filed from the second constituency and MP Abdulkarim Al-Kandari from the third constituency. In the fourth constituency, MPs Shuaib Al-Muwaizri, Askar Al-Enezi and Mubarak Al-Hajraf registered, while MPs Hamdan Al-Azemi and Mohammad Al-Huwailah filed from the fifth constituency.