admin“In the past years the parliament broke our hearts and let us down,” said Badr Yousef al-Juweihel after casting his ballot yesterday at al-Adeyliya polling station in central Kuwait.
“We didn’t benefit, in fact we went backwards and our time was wasted.”
Kuwaiti opposition parties are expected to make gains in the snap election called by the country’s ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, in December after dissolving the chamber in response to a deepening political deadlock that has stymied reform and held up vital development projects.
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.
A total 287 candidates are competing for 50 seats, and analysts expect a victory for the Islamist-led oppostion.
“The situation cannot remain as it was,” opposition candidate Faisel al-Mislem told hundreds of supporters at a campaign event in the run-up to the election. “If this election is just a game of musical chairs then it’s a waste of time.”
Kuwait’s parliament is fully elected with legislative powers, unique in a region ruled by autocrats who tolerate little dissent. But formal political parties are not allowed, which means opposition politicians are forced to rely on forming blocs in parliament.
That has undermined the ability of parliamentarians to mount effective opposition with clear programmes.
Shahin Shamsabadi, senior associate at the Risk Advisory group, said deputies still had a chance of broadening the powers of the 50-member chamber if public opinion were on their side. “The key thing is, are the people going to be fed up enough this time to change the parliament, or is it going to take another election?” Shamsabadi said.
Tempers have flared before the vote. Tribesmen torched the tent of a candidate who appeared to insult their tribe and skirmished with police outside the office of a satellite channel that was hosting his ally.
Other candidates have been coaxing voters into their tents with lavish buffets and pledges ranging from lifting a ban on the sale of alcohol to bringing laws into line with Islam.
Youth groups armed with smart phones and access to social networks have been organising their own campaigns.
“We need to move on and I think people are seeing that and are moving towards that,” said blogger Jassim al-Qamis, member of a team organising liberal ex-MP Aseel al-Awadhi’s campaign.
Opposition players accuse the government of misdeeds and corruption ranging from bribery, turning a blind eye to diesel smuggling and fomenting divisions within parliament. “These elections have shown the government’s true cards. It continues to play the same tawdry game,” said opposition ex-MP Jamaan al-Hirbish.
Although parliament has the power to initiate legislation, cabinet members also vote, giving the government a bloc it can use to dilute opposition or swing a majority in the assembly. — Al Jazeera.
Online Reporter