KUWAIT CITY (Agencies)
Kuwaitis started casting votes on Saturday to elect a new parliament in this oil-rich Gulf state which has been rocked by political turmoil that resulted in dissolving two parliaments in as many years.
Twenty-seven women are among 275 candidates running for the 50-seat legislative body, after a campaign focusing on ways to end political wrangling and put the wealthy OPEC state back on development track.
The early election is being held after Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the parliament in March for the second time in 22 months over a standoff between the government and the house.
Women are standing and voting for only the second time. No female candidate won a seat in the last polls.
About seven Sunni and Shiite Islamist, liberal and nationalist opposition groups are fielding some 45 candidates and backing 20 others, according to an AFP survey. But they are less united than they were two years ago.
Kuwaiti tribes, which constitute half of the electorate, are fielding around 35 candidates.
Thirty-eight members of the outgoing parliament and 14 from previous parliaments are seeking re-election.
The electorate votes at 94 polling stations in schools, 47 each for men and women who vote separately in line with the law.
The polls opened at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) and will close 12 hours later, with the first results expected early on Sunday as ballot papers are still counted manually.
The justice ministry, which supervises the election, has appointed about 800 judges to conduct the polls. Kuwait has no female judges. They will be assisted by hundreds of male and female interior ministry staff.
Analysts have predicted that more than half of the outgoing MPs will lose their seats, but Sunni Islamists and tribal conservatives are expected to retain a majority in the assembly. |
