ShareBy Majd Othman
KUWAIT: Kuwaitis voted for the third time since Dec 2020 on Tuesday, but the focus this time is not only on whether the National Assembly will achieve the expected reforms, but if the parliament would complete its full term. Kuwait Times visited a number of electoral districts to gauge the general mood of citizens toward the polls and asked them about their expectations from the next Assembly.
A general feeling of frustration and absence of high hopes was noticeable among many citizens, who hoped the next Assembly would not be dissolved and would instead complete its term. Other voters believed there is awareness to choose better representatives. A female voter, who preferred to remain anonymous, said people are trying to be optimistic and positive, but the current situation hinders them from hoping for key reforms, based on previous experiences with the Assembly.
“Political conflicts among candidates and previous representatives turned out to be more personal than adopting better goals, which is taking care of our country. Meanwhile, we as citizens are trying not to lose hope. We came to vote wondering if there would be any change,” she added. Noora, a citizen, said despite there being good people among candidates who are trying and willing to achieve reforms, the general situation is facing big challenges that make achievements unachievable.
She pointed out that people are voting because they still have hope in candidates who are willing to develop the country, but she also thinks there is a big chance that the Assembly will be dissolved again. “The conflicts are already obvious in front of everyone. You can visit any social media platform and understand the situation, which is not bright,” she commented. Awareness Another citizen told Kuwait Times that people are being overdramatic towards the elections. She said one can find internal conflicts all around the world and this is normal.
She believes losing hope will not only affect the country, but also the future of the next generation, “so being optimistic is our duty toward Kuwait”. “We are living in a time of awareness, where many people have learned from previous mistakes. I have personally witnessed many people not merely voting for their relatives or friends, but choosing candidates more wisely, because they saw the results of selecting the wrong representatives,” she pointed out.
Regarding her hopes from the coming Assembly, she said the most important things are health and education, considering them as the most essential pillars to develop a country. “Calls to raise salaries or control prices are legitimate rights of people, but the previous Assembly didn’t have enough time to tackle these issues. So I think that we should give another chance to representatives who didn’t get enough time last time to prove their good intentions,” she added.
