The local markets are abuzz with activity a few days after the issuance of the decree calling for the National Assembly elections, but the candidates rushed to announce their candidacy for the new parliamentary seats, and because the competition is great in light of the high number of candidates, it has created rituals in which some people spend a lot of money in order to draw attention, under the supervision specialized work teams with the aim of promoting their respective candidates through various means to entice supporters.
There is no doubt that the electoral movement constitutes one of the main drivers of some commercial activities, especially the tents, restaurants, sweets and chair and table rental sectors, as well as advertising companies, where candidates are expected to inject huge sums of money into their promotional campaigns, reports a local Arabic daily.
Away from the political atmosphere, the candidates compete to equip their electoral headquarters with various amenities to attract voters. The budget does not end there. It is necessary to choose the type and size of the tent or hall, through lighting, air conditioning, acoustics, WiFi, and decorative carpets, all the way to “youth temptations”, such as providing “sheesha” services, which have become common in some election headquarters. This is in addition to giant TV screens to broadcast the most important local and international news reports and the election platforms.
The struggle here with the start of the countdown to the parliamentary elections between slogans and images, given that they are the backbone of the electoral process. Advertisements and banners of candidates are certainly have become the best means of canvassing in Kuwait, and are a key element in which candidates compete via the streets, roads, media and social networking sites. In principle, there is no space left in the streets without being filled with banners and pictures of candidates, which aims to ensure communication between them and the voters, especially two weeks before the start of the elections.
As for modern communication technology, or so-called “digital advertising,” it remained the strongest propaganda weapon in the hands of candidates, as users of social networking sites are interested in visual content “photos and videos” because it spreads quickly through smart devices, being less expensive and achieving a high audience for them, and it is one of the complementary means to campaigns. The traditional advertising is just as important. The hashtags emerged as one of its important means, and Twitter remained the most influential due to its high popularity in Kuwait, so the candidate’s supporters exploited it to promote it.
The head of the Kuwaiti Federation of Restaurants, Cafes and Catering Fahd Al-Arbash expect sales of restaurants and hospitality companies to grow during the 2022 National Assembly elections between 10%-15%.
An official in a printing press explained that there are many types of electoral propaganda, including printing pictures of candidates and stickers, pointing out that some candidates for the National Assembly elections have started printing pictures of them in various sizes to introduce them to voters, expecting that the printing press and banner industry will witness a remarkable activity in the coming days.
He pointed out that some printing presses have opened the door for employment in the field of printing and design to work temporarily during the elections stage and some of them may open the way for additional work for their workers and employees.
5 sectors benefiting from the elections
1 – Tents and chairs rental
2 – Restaurants and hospitality companies
3 – Newspapers and printing presses
4 – Advertising agencies
5 – Acoustics, air-conditioning and lighting