KUWAIT CITY (AFP)
Kuwaitis head to the polls on Saturday to elect a new parliament they hope will bring much-needed stability to the oil-rich Gulf emirate that has been rocked by a series of political crises.
The early elections, the second in two years, were called by Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah in March after he dissolved parliament following a standoff between the government and MPs.
Kuwait has been in political turmoil for much of the past two years, which have seen four cabinets resign, and several ministers grilled and forced to quit, stalling economic development.
The daily Al-Rai said in an editorial on Friday that the election will "determine the political future of Kuwait" and voters will answer the question "what Kuwait do we need?"
A total of 275 candidates are standing in the elections, which will be contested on a new system under which the number of constituencies has been cut from 25 to five, a demand which united the opposition in the June 2006 polls. The candidates include 27 women.
Women are standing and voting for only the second time. No female candidate won a seat in the last polls which were also called after a political dispute led to the dissolution of parliament.
Islamist, liberal and nationalist opposition groups are fielding about 45 candidates and backing 20 others, but they are less united than they were two years ago. Thirty-eight members of the outgoing parliament are seeking re-election.
The heated campaign, which witnessed unprecedented charges of infighting within the Al-Sabah ruling family, was cut short by the death of former emir Sheikh Saad Abdullah al-Sabah.
Sheikh Saad, who ruled for only nine days before being deposed by parliament on health grounds in January 2006, died on Tuesday after a long illness. A three-day mourning period and public holiday was declared.
The wealthy OPEC member has been hit in recent months by sectarian tensions between majority Sunnis and minority Shiites, as well as tribal and even social divisions, all of which are expected to affect the outcome of the ballot.
Analysts have predicted that more than half the outgoing MPs will lose their seats, but Sunni Islamists and tribal conservatives are expected to retain a majority in the 50-seat parliament. |
