Kuwait City, Dec 5 (AFP/APP): Kuwaitis hoping for reform went to the polls on Saturday in a parliamentary election overshadowed by Covid-19, with facilities laid on so citizens infected with the disease could vote in special polling stations.
The oil-rich emirate has enforced some of the strictest regulations in the Gulf to combat the spread of the virus, imposing a months-long lockdown earlier this year. While some of those curbs have been eased, over-the-top campaign events that traditionally draw thousands for lavish banquets were absent from this year’s election, while masks remain mandatory outdoors and temperature checks routine. Infected people or those under enforced quarantine are usually confined to home, with electronic wristbands monitoring their movements.
But in an effort to respect their right to vote, authorities designated five polling stations — one in each electoral district — for them to cast their ballots. On Saturday, authorities set up security barriers around the country’s 102 polling stations to prevent gatherings, with designated lanes for entry and exit. Mask-clad voters, who were also forced to wear gloves, were subject to temperature checks before entering the facilities where election officials stood behind glass barriers.
The polls, which opened at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) and closed at 8:00 pm, were the first since the new emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, took office in September following the death of his half-brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, at the age of 91.
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