KUWAIT: A man reads a booklet while attending a rally for second constituency candidate Aliya Al-Khaled. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Parliamentary candidates contesting elections slated for November 26th have stepped up their campaigns in a bid to entice voters, particularly those who may be on the fence about who to vote for.

Through increased marketing ploys and strategies, candidates are working round the clock to try to connect to various segments of the electorate, part of the extensive coverage given to this year's elections, where pictures and biographies of the candidates are emblazoned on the front pages of daily newspapers.

Moreover, many of the candidates are using social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to further their campaigns by reaching out to the youth, a segment of the population seen as decisive in determining who ends up with the lion's share of the votes.

Meanwhile, candidates have still maintained their presence in traditional media platforms, appearing on state television and radio stations on a near daily basis. However, it seems that most candidates have made it a point to woo female voters, given the fact that women make up more than half of the electorate, as many election seminars held have touched on women's issues.

On October 16, as per clause 107 of the Kuwaiti Constitution, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ordered parliament dissolved, citing mounting security challenges and volatile regional conditions.

The 2016 parliamentary elections are being held in accordance with law number 20/2012, which deals with the nation's electoral constituencies. Each constituency will field a total of 10 candidates, where the electorate can only vote for one candidate per constituency. According to the Ministry of Interior's (MoI) Election Affairs Department, a total of 287 hopefuls are standing for this year's parliamentary elections after closing the doors for registration and withdrawals. - KUNA