In hope of ending stalemate, Kuwaitis vote for new parliament
2 Min Read
The polls ended tonight at about 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), and the results are predicted to be made public tomorrow.
-
People cast their votes in National Assembly elections at a religious school in Sabahiya district, Kuwait, Tuesday, June 6, 2023 (AP)
Following many political crises that have undermined parliament and halted reforms, Kuwaitis headed to the polls on Tuesday in the Gulf state's 7th general election to determine the country's next 50-seat legislature in just over a decade.
The polls ended tonight at about 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), and the results are predicted to be made public the next day.
One hour before the votes closed, the Kuwait Transparency Society, an NGO, said the voter turnout was at 50%. The overall voter turnout was 63% in the final 2022 elections.
The number of eligible voters exceeded 793,000 with a chance to choose the legislature in the only Gulf Arab state with an elected parliament that enjoys powers to hold the government accountable.
"I came to perform my patriotic duty and I am hopeful that things will get better," Maasoumah Bousafar, 64, told AFP.
The vote was called for by Kuwait's emir, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al Sabah, last month after he had once more dissolved parliament due to an ongoing impasse with the executive branch that had discouraged investment and slowed growth.
The fewest candidates to be standing in a general election since 1996, 207 people are vying for a seat as lawmakers for a four-year term. Among them are 13 women and opposition figures.
50 members of parliament who were elected in 2022 are running for reelection, with three exceptions.
There have been about a dozen dissolutions of the legislature since Kuwait adopted a parliamentary system in 1962.
This comes after Kuwait's Constitutional Court reinstated, in March, the previous parliament, which was elected in 2020, after nullifying last year's legislative elections as the political crisis in the Gulf state continues.
Oil-wealthy Kuwait is one of the world's most powerful sovereign wealth funds and has a low debt level; it boasts 7% of global crude reserves.
