Women again fail to enter parliament

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Sunnis made a strong showing in Kuwait's legislative elections and minority Shias gained one more seat, reflecting heightened sectarian sentiment and conservatism in the oil-rich Gulf state.

Women, despite numbering more than half the electorate, again failed to enter parliament, according to official results released on Sunday.

The Islamic Salafi Alliance and its allies won at least 10 seats in Saturday's polls, almost twice their strength in the previous chamber.

Sunnis and Shias grabbed more than half of parliament's 50 seats.

Sunnis won 21 seats, four more than their number in the previous parliament which was dissolved by Kuwait's ruler in March after a standoff between the government and MPs.

The moderate Islamic Constitutional Movement, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, however saw its strength cut by half to three MPs.

The number of lawmakers from the Shia minority increased by one to five.

All elected Shia MPs are Islamists, including two members of the previous parliament who took part in a controversial rally in March to mourn Imad Mughnieh, the slain military commander of Lebanon's Hezbollah.

"The Mughnieh issue has certainly increased sectarian polarisation and tension in the country, benefiting radicals on both sides," political analyst Muhammad al-Ajmi told AFP.

Liberals and their allies won seven seats, one fewer than in the previous house, while the nationalist Popular Action Bloc led by veteran Opposition figure and three-time speaker Ahmad al-Saadun took four seats, down one.

Women, who were contesting the election for only the second time, failed to win any seats, underlining the conservative nature of Kuwaiti society.

Female voters made up 55.4pc of the 361,700 eligible voters in Saturday's early election, but only about half of them cast their votes, according to turnout figures. Total turnout was 68pc.

Twenty-seven female candidates were in the running, but with women standing for election for only the second time, their limited experience in campaigning was seen as one of the reasons for their poor showing.

Analysts say women in the Gulf region generally tend to follow the lead of their families and tribes when casting their ballot.

Kuwaiti women had also failed to make a breakthrough when they voted and stood for office for the first time in the June 2006 legislative ballot.

Twenty-two new faces will enter the parliament, mostly from tribal areas. Voters have said they wanted change in a bid to end political feuding and put the wealthy OPEC state back on the track of economic development.

Under the constitution, the cabinet will resign within two days and Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah will ask the current premier or another member of the ruling family, as is the norm in Kuwait, to form a new cabinet before the new parliament holds its first session by the end of May.