US Ambassador to Kuwait, Alina Romanowski was pleased with the fact that Kuwaiti legislative elections with the US Presidential election dates coincide with each other.
During her opening speech at an webinar, she stated that the American elections 2020, will be distinguished for several reasons, one of which is the participation of about 65 percent of voters, that accounts for around 150 million people which includes participation from a large number of young people.
She then said, ‘About 80 million Americans cast their votes early because of the Coronavirus pandemic,’ pointing out that the embassy helps American citizens to exercise their right to vote.
She emphasized that America is a democratic country and that the American community in Kuwait should participate in the elections, as America supports democratic institutions in Kuwait and around the world.
About the demographic of the US election, The head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Youngstown University, Dr. Paul Swarsk, said that determining the affiliations of voters in the United States is very difficult.
He then added that a recent survey showed that most Americans are independent and do not want to join the prevailing trends and 27 percent of them belong to the Democrats And 28 percent for Republicans, and 42 percent for independents.
According to him, Americans want to participate in the elections but reject the classification, pointing to the swing states that may carry big and unpredictable surprises in the election race.
He also pointed out that the Coronavirus pandemic has positively contributed to the number of voters and participants in the elections.
Head of the Political Science Department at the College of Social Sciences at Kuwait University, Dr. Hassan Jawhar, said, “The American elections derive their power from the United States’ global position, and therefore their impact exceeds America’s geographic, economic and social limits. ”
He added that the American political reality is reflected in regional and international alliances, pointing out that President Donald Trump’s administration has contributed to the increase in tensions in the Middle East region and financial blackmail that has cause expenses of billions of dollars from the Gulf countries
He stated that Trump’s policy only served Israel and pushed for normalization with it, and many others remained stuck and bloodshed because of it, pointing out that the current US elections are different from the previous ones because there is an exchange of accusations and challenges to patriotism.
He added, ”I understand the American concern about the civil war, confrontation, racial discrimination and the emergence of extremist groups, stressing that obtaining the popular majority does not mean winning the presidential elections.”
He further explained that Trump and Biden have strengths and weaknesses, and also that Trump has managed to create virtual enemies such as China, Iran, and Islamophobia. He then pointed out that Trump’s winning card is to go to court if he loses, and Biden’s strong cards are not due to the strength of his character, but to Trump’s mistakes.
He stated that the Coronavirus may affect the Kuwaiti parliamentary elections, according to polls, which stated that about 20 percent of voters maynot participate due to the pandemic, calling on everyone to participate without fear.
In turn, Professor of Political Science Dr. Hanan Al-Hajri said that the US presidential elections are important and historic, regardless of their outcome, pointing out that if Trump wins, he will be the first president to override his dismissal procedures and succeed in winning a second term.
She added that this election witnesses a darker-skinned woman of Asian origin running for the vice presidency, and Trump attacked her and described her as a monster. She explaining that President Trump’s record is full of insults directed at women, and the fact that he has lost support from women in Michigan after he asked them to vote for him, in exchange for providing jobs to their husband amidst the coronavirus crisis.
She stated that women prefer Biden to Trump, according to the results of various polls conducted in the United States, stressing that women will be the main reason if Trump loses the elections, as African American women have twice brought Obama to the presidency.
“Joe Biden has the support of American women, Trump has united women against him, and he does not have the support of African Americans,” she said.