Kuwaiti opposition candidates were set to make gains in a snap parliamentary election held on Thursday in the oil-exporting Gulf Arab country. Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, called the vote in December after dissolving the chamber in response to a deepening political deadlock that has stymied reform and held up vital development projects.
"In the past years the parliament broke our hearts and let us down," said Badr Yousef al-Juweihel after casting his ballot at al-Adeyliya polling station in central Kuwait. "We didn't benefit; in fact we went backwards and our time was wasted." Polls closed at 8 pm (1700 GMT) and the initial results were expected as early as midnight. Authorities said there were no reports of violence.
Frustration has been growing at the impasse which came to a head in November when protesters led by opposition MPs stormed the assembly demanding the resignation of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah, accusing him of corruption. The vote, in which 287 candidates competed for seats, will usher in Kuwait's fourth parliament in six years.
Comments
Comments are closed.