The Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said he was satisfied with medical preparations for Saturday's parliamentary elections, which "are different than the previous 60 years." These elections are "different than the previous 60 years because of the health crisis and the measures that is needed to be adopted," prime minister told reporters while visiting Khabab Ibn Al-Arat school in Jabriya, which was made a polling station. "I am happy with the reports I have been receiving about the participation in this constitutional procedure to elect representatives of the Kuwaiti people ...," he said. He hoped elections would end with high turnout and voters abiding by health conditions. "We see a big turnout and we hope to see compliance with the health requirements during elections, and to refrain from celebrations following the announcement of results," said the prime minister. "The victory is for us to preserve public health," he added. The prime minister was accompanied by Ministry of Interior's Undersecretary Gen. Essam Al-Naham. ( Earlier, Minister of Justice Dr. Fahad Al-Afasi affirmed on Saturday that the parliamentary elections proceeded smoothly and without any obstacles due to excellent efforts by personnel of all involved state departments. In a statement to Kuwait News Agency and Kuwait Television, Dr. Al-Afasi, who is also the minister of awqaf and islamic affairs, said personnel of the ministries of justice, interior and health, played a key role in facilitating the electoral process. Members of the electoral commissions, namely judges and personnel of the judiciary, have exerted extraordinary efforts in the shadow of the health measures due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This high turnout since early hours of the balloting affirms the Kuwaiti citizens' awareness of their constitutional rights and positive interaction with public affairs of the homeland, he said. Meanwhile, Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Basel Al-Sabah underlined the importance Saturday on abiding by the electoral process and adhering to the precautionary measures setup in order to maintain safety for all and to reach the desired results. Sheikh Basel made the remarks to KUNA after a tour of Bin Rushd School Committee in Al-Fayha, which is an area designated for coronavirus patients, adding that he made several tours to various schools with each of the minister of interior, the minister of justice and other senior officials of the Ministry of Interior to check on the extent of commitment to follow health procedures. The minister mentioned that he witnessed first hand the extent of everyone's response in following health procedures and requirements despite the fact that some schools witnessed some large crowds in specific periods, noting that the committees witnessed physical distancing and the commitment by voters to wear masks. Officials running parliamentary elections in the second district, one of Kuwait's five districts covered in the current polls on Saturday, expressed satisfaction at adherence to the anti coronavirus precautions. The voting kicked off, early today, with show-up of the elderly, amid full abidance by the anti-COVID measures, said Judge Khaled Al-Busairi, head of the main electoral commission at Al-Asmaa bint Al-Hareth School, one of the schools that has been transformed into voting centers. Justice Ahmad Al-Hajri, in charge of the main commission at Ibn Rushd School in Faiha Area — specialized solely for eligible voters who have been infected with the coronavirus, affirmed that all people that were present at the station wore masks, gloves and maintained social distancing. Voters entering the center are obliged to change their masks and put on the gloves before being subjected to a temperature test, Al-Hajri said. Authorities have set up special centers exclusively for infected voters, as part of the measure to ensure safety for participants in the electoral process. In the morning, polling stations opened nationwide for parliamentary elections Saturday, held in challenging times amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of eligible voters will cast ballots to elect 50 representatives in five constituencies, 10 from each district. — KUNA
