Kuwaitis cast ballots today for a second general election in 10 months, but turnout was low after a boycott call by the opposition which argues the parliament has lost all its legitimacy.
The vote comes nearly two months after Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved a pro-government parliament
following its reinstatement in June by a court ruling that also annulled an assembly elected in February.
Predominantly tribal constituencies led the way with the boycott today as voters appeared to heed the appeal by both their chiefs and the opposition to stay away from polling over a disputed electoral law.
More activity was seen in other districts, but the highest turnout was in districts populated by the Shiite minority, according to an AFP correspondent and witnesses.
The opposition, which held 36 of the 50 seats in the scrapped parliament, cannot win any in today’s election as it
has not fielded candidates among the 306 hopefuls, which include 13 women.
Voter turnout is therefore being seen as the key test between the Islamist, nationalist and liberal opposition and
the government led by the ruling Al-Sabah family.
And each side is already claiming success, although it is still too early to draw a conclusion.
“The Kuwaiti people have succeeded in bringing down (this) election by not taking part,” opposition leader and former MP Mussallam al-Barrak said on Twitter.
Former parliament speaker and opposition leader Ahmad al-Saadun said Friday’s opposition march and the boycott had
taken away “popular and political legitimacy” from the next parliament and government.
Waleed al-Tabtabai, a former Islamist MP, said on Twitter that turnout would not exceed 15 percent. In the polls held in February, turnout was about 65 percent.
No official figures have been released so far but Information Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah al-Sabah told
state television that “the turnout has so far been positive”.
———————————-(AFP)