VZCZCXRO3839
PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHKU #1077/01 0870729
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 280729Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3717
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1221
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0974

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001077 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2016 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KWMN KU FREEDOM AGENDA
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: MUNICIPAL COUNCIL CANDIDATE 
CRITICIZES PRE-ELECTION SECTARIAN/TRIBAL PRIMARIES 
 
REF: 05 KUWAIT 2509 
 
Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for reason 1.4 (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary and comment: Talal Dashti, one of twelve 
candidates in an election for a vacant Municipal Council (MC) 
seat, told Poloff March 26 he refused to participate in a 
pre-election Shi'a primary to choose one of the seven Shi'a 
candidates in the election to represent the constituency's 
Shi'a population and increase the odds of a Shi'a being 
elected.  Dashti said other "open-minded" Shi'a candidates 
agreed with him, and the primary was not held.  He reported, 
however, that the Al-Awazem tribe did hold a primary, which 
the Government did not prevent or sanction despite it being 
common knowledge.  Dashti claimed the participation of women 
in the election for the first time since gaining the right to 
vote in May 2005 had a "significant" affect on campaign 
strategies, though he suggested the primary challenge was 
reaching more voters, not gearing campaigns to both genders. 
While he did not believe either of the two female candidates 
in the April 4 election would win, he seemed genuinely 
supportive of women's participation both as voters and as 
candidates.  Dashti said he financed his own campaign, which 
relied heavily on calling and sending text messages to voters 
and visiting diwaniyas. 
 
¶2.  (C) The upcoming Municipal Council election will be the 
first time women exercise their right to vote.  Kuwaitis arQ 
watching closely to see whether women will vote with their 
male relatives, as many in this conservative country suggest, 
or whether they will vote independently.  Women's 
participation in the election will also more than double the 
number of voters and could indicate, albeit on a smaller 
scale, the impact a reduction in the number of parliamentary 
electoral constituencies would have on reducing the scope of 
electoral corruption.  End summary and comment. 
 
Shi'a Primary Would "Destroy" National Unity 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) Talal Dashti, a Shi'a candidate in the extraordinary 
Municipal Council (MC) election to be held April 4 to fill 
the vacant seat of Abdullah Al-Muhailbi, who was recently 
appointed Minister of Municipality Affairs, told Poloff March 
26 that "some groups" in his constituency urged him to 
participate in a pre-election Shi'a primary to choose one of 
the seven Shi'a candidates in the election to represent them 
and increase their chances of winning.  He refused, arguing 
that "election primaries will (negatively) affect national 
unity and lead to a rise in sectarianism."  "I am a Kuwaiti 
first, second, and third, then a Shi'a," he explained. 
According to Dashti, other "open-minded" Shi'a candidates 
similarly refused and the primary was not held. 
 
¶4.  (C) While unofficial elections are prohibited in Kuwait, 
they do occur, particularly among Kuwaiti tribes.  Dashti 
said the Al-Awazem tribe had already held a primary, choosing 
Yousef Al-Suwailih from 22 other Awazem candidates to 
represent the tribe in the election.  He explained the Awazem 
had conducted the primary by placing ballot boxes in tribal 
leaders' diwaniyas, and that, while widely known, the 
Government had done nothing to stop the primary or censure 
the tribe afterwards.  Dashti predicted that "80% of the 
Awazem" would vote for their tribal candidate, giving them a 
substantial electoral advantage.  (Note: Abdullah Al-Muhailbi 
is also from the Awazem tribe.  End note.) 
 
¶5.  (C) According to Dashti, the total number of voters, 
including women, in the fifth MC constituency is 28,000.  Of 
this number, Dashti claimed 14,000 were Shi'a, 5,600 were 
Awazem, and 7,000 were from other Sunni families.  In each 
group, he said women outnumbered men.  In the last MC 
election in June 2005, Dashti said there were only 9,000 
voters total.  There are currently 12 candidates for the 
election, two of whom are women.  (Note: There are ten 
Municipal Council constituencies from each of which one 
member is elected.  Six Council members are also appointed by 
the Government; two are currently women (reftel).  The next 
regularly scheduled MC election will take place in 2009.  End 
note.) 
 
¶6.  (C) While criticizing pre-election primaries, Dashti 
acknowledged that it would be difficult for a Shi'a candidate 
to be elected without one, even if, as he predicted, the 
number of Shi'a candidates dropped to "three or four" prior 
to the election and "80% of Shi'a" voted for one of them. 
The Awazem had a chief who could direct the tribe to vote for 
a particular candidate, while Shi'a allegiances were divided 
 
KUWAIT 00001077  002 OF 002 
 
 
among different marja (religious leaders), Dashti observed. 
All the same, he reiterated that he would rather lose the 
election than hold a primary that "destroyed" national unity. 
 
Participation of Women Changing Campaign Strategies 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶7.  (C) The participation of women in the elections for the 
first time since gaining the right to vote in May 2005 had a 
"significant" impact on campaign strategies, Dashti said. 
Since diwaniyas (traditional gatherings) tend to be 
male-dominated, Dashti said he opened a separate female 
diwaniya where his female relatives could campaign on his 
behalf.  Females friends/relatives also helped by calling 
female voters individually and "introducing them" to Talal. 
He suggested, however, that the greatest challenge of women 
participating in the election was reaching a greater number 
of voters, not gearing campaigns to both genders.  Dashti 
predicted women would not/not vote in large numbers for the 
two female candidates, and doubted either would win, arguing 
they needed more political and election experience.  Overall, 
however, he seemed genuinely supportive of women's 
participation both as voters and as candidates. 
 
Campaigning Kuwaiti-Style 
------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) Dashti explained that much of his campaigning relied 
on calling and sending text messages to voters, erecting 
billboards, and visiting diwaniyas, of which he said there 
were more than 400 in his constituency.  He said he was 
helped by 11 core campaigners and 300 family and friends. 
Dashti said he financed his own campaign, which was "very 
costly," particularly the campaign billboards and flyers and 
the cell phone/text messaging expenses.  Professing to know 
his constituency "house by house," Dashti claimed he could 
predict how many votes he would receive by family. 
Ultimately, though, Dashti's primary support seemed to come 
from the electoral base his father, an influential Shi'a 
businessman, had built up during two separate, unsuccessful 
election campaigns. 
 
Bio Note 
-------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Talal Dashti was born in 1976.  He received a B.S. 
in Civil Engineering from a university in Omaha, Nebraska, 
and an M.S. in the same field from a university in Vienna, 
Austria.  In addition to owning his own business, he serves 
as Executive Vice President for the World Trade Center in 
Damascus, Syria; the Deputy Chairman of Top Industries 
Company; a Board member of Markiz, a real estate investment 
company; and a Board member of the Jaber Al-Ahmed Equestrian 
Academy.  Talal is also a member of several Arab and 
international equestrian organizations.  His English is 
fluent. 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
LEBARON