Kuwait holds parliamentary vote that rulers hope will bring stability as opposition boycotts

July 27, 2013 at 5:21AM

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — Voters in Kuwait are casting ballots in a parliamentary election that leaders in the oil-rich Gulf nation hope will restore some stability after years of political confrontations, but an opposition boycott suggests more showdowns ahead.

The voting was called after a court invalidated the 50-seat chamber elected in December. It found technical flaws in the balloting, but let stand a new system ordered by Kuwait's ruler for one vote per person. It replaced the former method allowing voters to spread four votes between various candidates.

Critics say the old system encouraged vote buying and tribal blocs.

Opposition groups, led by Islamists, plan to boycott — as they did in December.

Unusually, Saturday's vote takes place during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.

about the writer

about the writer

More from No Section

See More
FILE -- A rent deposit slot at an apartment complex in Tucker, Ga., on July 21, 2020. As an eviction crisis has seemed increasingly likely this summer, everyone in the housing market has made the same plea to Washington: Send money — lots of it — that would keep renters in their homes and landlords afloat. (Melissa Golden/The New York Times) ORG XMIT: XNYT58
Melissa Golden/The New York Times

It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.