By B Izzak

KUWAIT: As many as 395 candidates have signed up to run in next month's parliamentary election, with a majority of members in the outgoing house bidding for re-election after registration of candidates closed yesterday. The number of hopefuls - 59 fewer than the 2016 elections - is expected to shrink, since many are likely to pull out of the race for the 50-seat National Assembly. Withdrawal of candidates continues until seven days before election day on Dec 5.

Forty-four of the 50 outgoing MPs are seeking re-election, including Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem, Deputy Speaker Issa Al-Kandari and the only female member - Safa Al-Hashem. The six MPs who dropped out are Abdullah Al-Roumi, Mohammad Al-Hadiya and Mubarak Al-Harees from the first constituency, liberal MP Rakan Al-Nasef from the second constituency, Islamist MP Mohammad Al-Dallal from the third and Talal Al-Jallal from the fifth.

Along with the 44 MPs, at least 25 former MPs are contesting the polls. They include veteran former opposition MP Hasan Jawhar, Ahmad Al-Shahoumi and Abdullah Al-Turaiji, all running from the first constituency. They also include former MPs Hamad Al-Matar from the second constituency and Osama Al-Munawer from the third, both Islamists. Former ministers Yacoub Al-Sane and Roudhan Al-Roudhan are contesting from the third constituency and Bader Al-Humaidi is running in the second constituency.

In addition, there are a number of promising new faces like Abdullah Al-Mudhaf and Abdullah Hussein Al-Roumi from the first constituency and liberal Hamad Al-Ansari from the third. Thirty-three female candidates have registered - 11 are contesting from the third constituency along with MP Hashem, followed by 10 from the first district. There are no women candidates in the predominantly tribal fourth constituency. Prominent among female candidates are Hashem, seeking re-election for the second time, and Ghadeer Al-Aseeri, a former minister who was forced to resign following a grilling in the Assembly.

Authorities reiterated yesterday a total ban on election gatherings or pitching tents like in previous years, and called on candidates to run their campaigns through social media. Election authorities said they have not yet disqualified any candidate. The last MP to sign up was Salah Khorsheed, who first handed himself over to police, then filed his papers. Khorsheed was wanted for investigation over his alleged connection to a corruption scandal involving a jailed Bangladeshi MP.

Local experts are expecting around a 40 percent change in the outgoing Assembly. Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh inspected the election department yesterday and assured holding the polls by observing stringent health measures against the coronavirus. He said a special health committee is currently preparing a plan to apply health measures on election day to ensure polling is done safely.