Opposition lawmakers have nabbed the majority of seats in Kuwait’s parliament, in the Gulf country’s third election in the last three years.
Tuesday’s snap election took place amid a long-running political crisis that has seen parliament repeatedly dissolved due to a feud between the government and lawmakers that has hampered fiscal reforms.
The new parliament nearly mirrors the one elected last year that had a majority opposition presence. According to the results announced on Wednesday by the official Kuwait News Agency, opposition politicians won 29 of the legislature’s 50 seats, and 37 lawmakers retained their seats.
Voter turnout in the election was low, at just 51 percent, indicating the level of dissatisfaction Kuwaitis have with the current political process, Matheson also said.
A total of 207 candidates, a 10-year low, competed for the 50 seats in five constituencies. The remaining 15 seats in the assembly are reserved for the appointed cabinet.
Credit: Aljazeera.com
