KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait holds parliamentary election Saturday after the Gulf Arab state's top court dissolved the previous assembly on a legal technicality. Political parties are not allowed, so lawmakers form loose alliances based on policy, family and religious ties. Some opposition politicians are boycotting the election in protest over changes to the voting system which were brought in last year. Liberal, urban politicians are expected to fare well in the election. Many of them boycotted the last vote in December but have split with the larger opposition bloc this time because they want to run for parliament. The main liberal group taking part is the National Democratic Alliance, which pushes for political and economic reform. Leaders of some of Kuwait's most influential tribes, the Awazem, Ajman and Mutair, have also called for participation in the elections. The groups, which have Bedouin roots and tend to be more socially conservative than the more urban populations, were among the tribes that boycotted the last election. People with tribal origins are estimated to form slightly more than half of the electorate, so the opinion of such community leaders can be important.— Agencies
