[May 18, 2008] Kuwaitis seek fresh start Tweet (Kuwait Times (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 18--KUWAIT -- Kuwaitis voted yesterday to elect a new National Assembly for the second time in less than two years, seeking stability and progress following lingering political crises and confrontations between the government and the Assembly. The early election was held after HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah dissolved parliament in March for the second time in 22 months over a standoff between the government and the house. Counting of votes began almost two hours after the close of polling at 8:00 pm because voters who were inside the polling centers were allowed to cast their votes. Votes were counted manually and full results are expected today. Turnout was relatively high despite earlier reports that voters were shunning the ballot boxes because of their frustrations over the continued wranglings that has stalled development and projects in the country. Based on initial estimates, turnout was 77.5 percent in the first district, 74 percent in the second, 68 percent in the third, 65 percent in the fourth and 60 percent in the fifth constituency. Full results are expected today. The overall turnout was about 60 percent, slightly lower than 65 percent in 2006. But turnout was above 75 percent among male voters compared to just around 50 percent among women. Female voter turnout in 2006 was a meagre 44 percent. Twenty-seven women were among 275 candidates who contested the 50 seats. The same number of women stood in 2006, when women took part for the first time in elections as voters and candidates. Turnout at some female polling stations was however very high from the early hours of the morning. In Jabriya, women voters started lining outside the polling station more than one hour before 8.00 am, when polling began. "I voted for a new face that was not in parliament before and whom I think has new ideas," Fatima Mubarak, a young housewife, said after casting her ballot in Jabriya. "We are fed up with political crises which halted any achievement. We are fed up with lots of talk and no action," she sa id, adding that "I voted for change and achievement. HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah toured a number of polling stations and said he hoped that women, taking part in the polls for only the second time, will enter parliament. No female candidate won a seat when women voted and stood for office for the first time in the June 2006 legislative ballot. Women voters outnumber their male counterparts, representing 55.4 percent of the electorate. "I'm against women in parliament. I think everybody should stay in his place," said Samira Al-Azm, a voter in her 50s. Early returns, which could change dramatically, showed former MPs Marzouk Al-Ghanem, Jassem Al-Khorafi, Khaled Sultan, Mohammad Al-Mutair, Mohammad Al-Saqer, Ali Al-Rashed and Jamaan Al-Harbash leading in the second district. The four Awazem candidates and about five Shiites, including former MPs Hassan Jowhar, Ahmad Lari, Saleh Ashour, Hussein Al-Qallaf and Adnan Abdulsamad were leading in the first constituency. In the fifth district, the four Awazem and the four Ajman candidates were in the lead. In the fourth, former MP Musallam Al-Barrak was in the lead along with Ali Al-Deqbasi, while in the third constituency, former MPs Adel Al-Saraawi, Faisal Al-Muslim and Waleed Al-Tabtabae were leading. Female candidate Rola Dashti was also among the top ten candidates. Former MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun launched a strong protest against the counting of votes because of the use of electronic screens to show the results as they came. Saadoun objected to hiring a private company by the Justice Ministry to manage the screens and hinted that the process was an interference in the outcome of the election. But the ministry later explained that the screens had nothing to do with the counting of votes but were only a means to publish the results as they come and that official results wil l continue to be counted by the judges. Although candidates have heaped criticism on what they called the "weak" Cabinet, most Kuwaitis seem to blame lawmakers more for the political gridlock. "Only a few of the previous parliament members should come back," said Abdullah Al-Zaid, a 42-year-old customs officer, as a he waited in a long line to vote at a men's polling station. He said the squabbling has taken up too much time, diverting efforts of both powers from developing the country with the revenues pouring in from oil. "The barrel is more t han 100 dollars and we don't see any improvement in services and infrastructure," the bearded Muslim fundamentalist lamented. Local analysts have predicted that about half of the outgoing MPs will lose, especially those whom voters believe were the cause of confrontations with the government. But Sunni Islamists and tribal conservatives are expected to retain their majority. At a polling station for men in Qadsiya, one retired voter said he wanted a fresh start for Kuwait. Hussein Yousef Ahmad said he voted for new candidates because he was fed up with old faces in the National Assembly who, according to him, were only serving th eir interests at the expense of public interests. "MPs of today are not like before. They only take care about their own interests and do not care about the people. This has caused a complete paralysis in the functioning of the country," Ahmad said. Another voter said that although he voted for former MPs, he was not happy with the actions of the dissolved Assembly. "We certainly need some change. We need to get this country moving. We need to safeguard our national unity which was gravely threatened by the Mughniyah mourning," Ahmad Behbehani said, referring to eulogies held for the slain Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyah in Kuwait. "I think legislators have learned the lesson that loud voices will get them nowhere, and maybe this time they will coo perate with the Cabinet," said voter Saleh Khalaf. Aseel Al-Awadhi, a US-educated university professor backed by the liberal National Democratic Alliance in the third district, said before casting her ballot that she saw a general tendency for change, adding that Kuwaiti voters were expected to vote for change and stability. "I'm very optimistic," said Al-Awadhi. "In 2006, there was no confidence in women. But with time, they started getting into the game. Nasser Al-Abdali, who heads a small group called Kuwaiti Society for Developing Democracy, said the problem goes much deeper than election results. He believes the clashes between parliament and Cabinet including grillings are a reflection of struggles within the ruling family. Lack of officially recognized political parties weakens the prime minister, who sometimes finds himself without enough backing in parliament, Al-Abdali said. "What we have is a form of participation, not a democracy," he said. The voting process passed without any serious incident or violations. But some judges cancelled the ballots of a few voters who tried to take pictures with mobile phones of their ballot papers because this amounted to vote-buying. The election was held under a new system in which the number of constituencies was cut from 25 to five, a demand which united the opposition in the last polls. "The Kuwaiti people are tired of crises... We are concerned about the future of democracy if the new parliament and gove rnment fail to cooperate," said former MP Abbas Al-Khudari, A Shiite who is seeking re-election. Seven Sunni and Shiite Islamist, liberal and nationalist opposition groups fielded some 45 candidates and backed 20 others. Kuwaiti tribes -- half of the electorate -- fielded around 35 candidates. Thirty-eight members of the outgoing parliament and 14 from previous parliaments were seeking re-election. Segregated voting took place at 94 polling stations in schools, 47 each for men and women. About 361,700 people, excluding military personnel, are eligible to vote in a country with a native population of jus t over one million. The voting age is 21. Also, rumours circulated of some vote-buying cases in Jahra, but were disproved. Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled Al-Sabah said that vote-buying cases will be announced by the ministry in a transparent way. In the fourth district, about 120 voters were not allowed to vote because their names were not on the voter rolls, apparently over an administrative error. Mohammad Al-Juwaihel, a candidate whose name was taken off of the list of candidates over a court case, demanded that voting in the third district should be halted. Juwaihel said that a court ruling reinstating two other candidates applied to him and his name should be added to the candidates' list. Judges supervising the voting rejected his demand and the Interior Ministry denied that the court ruling applied to him. Parliament, elected for a four-year term, has legislative and monitoring powers and can vote ministers out of office but it cannot bring down a whole cabinet. Unelected ministers become ex-officio members of the house. The last Assembly focused on questioning ministers over their conduct, forcing several to resign. The OPEC producer has yet to appoint an oil minister since the last quit in November. Amid the political squabbles, reforms such as a bill to attract foreign investment were left on the back burner. "I expect many of the old Assembly not to make it. Their performance was not good enough. They were pursuing their own interests, not solving Kuwait's problems," said Hanaa, 33. Kuwait's bourse, the second largest in the Arab world, rose after the Assembly was dissolved on hopes the new chamber would be more business-friendly but has since shed some of its gains. "Investors now want to see some action," said Mustafa Behbehani, a director at Gulf Consulting Co in Kuwait. The two-month campaign has been marred by protests, arrests and confusion after a new law redrew electoral districts to ensure a more balanced representation in a parliament that has tended to be dominated by Islam ist blocs and tribal alliances. Analysts said the main Islamist and tribal blocs would do well in the enlarged districts where independents may struggle. "They will enter the parliament. They are a big part of the society," said Amani Bouresli, a finance professor at Kuwait University. "But we expect a big change, almost 40-50 percent change, because of the five constituencies. There will a change in the faces but not in the formation of the Assembly. Kuwait, which sits on 10 percent of the world's oil, wants to wean its economy off energy exports and emulate the success of neighbours like Dubai and Bahrain which have transformed themselves into financial centres and tourist destinations. Oil makes up over 90 percent of Kuwaiti government revenues and 55 percent of the gross domestic product in 2006, according to official data. That compares to 3 percent of GDP in Dubai. Part of the problem is that ordinary Kuwaitis oppose reforms that would cut their benefits. They pay no taxes and are content with state jobs and handouts, and free healthcare and schools. Many Kuwaitis are also fed up with a state which, despite its oil wealth, allows roads, hospitals and schools to crumble. The standard of these services has not kept up with the private sector's and many prefer to go to private clinics or send their children to expensive foreign schools. Reforms will be even harder to pu sh through with global food prices rising and inflation at a record 9.5 percent in January. (With agency material) To see more of The Kuwait Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kuwaittimes.net/. Copyright (c) 2008, Kuwait Times Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]