KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al- Ghanem casts his ballot in the Municipal Council elections yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: The Municipal Council elections witnessed a trickle of voters yesterday amid hot weather conditions and widespread apathy. Turnout was estimated at a little over 20 percent, which is believed to be normal for these elections, as many voters believe the final results are already known, while others view the Municipal Council as a technical body with no executive powers.

After polling stations closed, HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah commended efforts of government employees that contributed to the smooth voting process, and their service for their country. The Amir thanked all staff of the interior ministry, the higher judicial committee supervising the elections, information ministry, health ministry, the fire directorate and the municipality.

Speaking to reporters earlier after voting, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem hoped more voters would cast their ballots, adding that candidates are "siblings competing to serve Kuwait". He also promised that the parliament will cooperate with the Municipal Council, which is the oldest house of representatives in Kuwait.

Farwaniya Governor Sheikh Faisal Al-Hmoud Al-Malek Al-Sabah also stressed the importance of the Municipal Council, noting that it provides many public services. He expressed hope for more cooperation and coordination between the incoming council and state executive bodies to help boost development and take part in planning and approving construction, environment and health projects. Sheikh Faisal added Farwaniya governorate is densely populated and has many urban expansions that require more services and projects. He urged the council to give due care to these projects and help improve the governorate's infrastructure.

The morning period saw very limited voting, as only 15 out of 866 voters showed up to cast their votes at a polling station in Qadisiya, and 13 out of 835 voted at another school in the area. Meanwhile, 30 out of 860 voted at a station in Mansouriya, while other centers in the area saw 10 out of 772 and 9 out of 772 eligible voters casting their ballots. The situation was similar at other polling stations throughout Kuwait. Chancellor Adnan Al-Jasser told Kuwait Times that only 15 voters had cast their votes at a polling station in Farwaniya. He attributed this to the heat and expected more voters to show up in the afternoon.

At a polling station in the Capital governorate, an argument broke out between a municipal employee and some candidates' representatives when he removed their election banners. "How is that you are running for a municipal post and are violating municipal bylaws," the official reprimanded them. Other polling stations saw blatant tribal slogans and calls to vote for fellow tribesmen, including "The post goes for...tribe" and "We will never let our son down".

By Meshaal Al-Enezi