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Kuwait bans candidates from running in elections

November 2, 2016 at 6:10 pm

Some 47 candidates hoping to partake in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections have been banned from running, Kuwait Times reported. Many of those on the list are opposition members or controversial figures, such as former Member of Parliament Abdul Hamid Dashti who has been sentenced to 31 years and six months in jail.

Dashti has been living in exile since March but managed to run when he obtained a court order allowing his son to submit his nomination papers on his behalf.

He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in absentia for defaming Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in July and two further sentences were issued against him last month.

Of the 47 candidates who were banned from running, 31 were excluded as a result of previous court convictions. The remaining 16 have allegedly not completed required procedures that enable them to qualify. All of those who have been banned have the legal right to challenge the disbarment.