KUWAIT – Kuwaitis voted Saturday in a parliamentary election overshadowed by an opposition boycott, protests over a change to the polling rules. Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah used emergency powers in October to cut the number of votes per citizen to one from four, saying his decree would fix a flawed system and maintain security and stability. “There is a need for the decree to take the country out of the crisis we are in,” 51-year-old government worker Khaled Nouri said after voting in an upmarket district south of the capital. “The wheel of development must continue to turn.” Under the new rules, each voter chooses only one candidate instead of four. In the past, candidates have called on supporters to cast their additional ballots for allies. “The old system was unfair for people in some areas of Kuwait,” 28-year-old Dalal Al-Aboud said at a voting station in a suburb on the edge of Kuwait City. “I think it will be better if we try this new method, then we judge if it is fair or not.” Polls opened at 8 a.m. About 423,000 Kuwaitis are eligible to cast ballots to choose the 50 members of parliament. Voters trickled into stations set up in about 100 schools around the country. Officials in polling stations in several districts said turnout did appear lighter than usual. Polls closed at 8 p.m. University professor Alia Shuaib said women, who received the right to vote in 2005, were still finding it an uplifting experience to cast their ballots. “I believe it is my duty as a woman and as a Kuwaiti national to vote,” she said. “It is a pleasure to get up, dress, get my papers and vote. It is breathtaking,” the 45-year-old said. “I believe every person should vote and put the right people in parliament. We want educated people, the best.” Information Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said there was a “significant and positive” voter turnout in the second district which comprises the capital and nearby areas. – Reuters
