Kuwait goes to polls as opposition boycotts

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwaitis cast ballots on Saturday to elect a second parliament in 10 months, but early turnout was low as voters appeared to heed an opposition call to shun the poll over a disputed electoral law.

The vote comes nearly two months after Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah scrapped the pro-government parliament following a court ruling that annulled an assembly elected in February. At a polling station in Salwa, 15 kilometres (10 miles) south of Kuwait City, only a few people showed up among more than 4,600 eligible voters registered at the centre.

"I am voting because I care for my country. I am against the boycott calls," Mahmud Abedin told AFP after casting his vote. "Everything is made available to us by the government and the emir; good housing services, good salaries and many almost free public services, so why should we boycott," the 47-year-old Abedin, a public sector employee, said.

Just before the start of voting, the centre in a predominantly tribal area was almost deserted except for dozens of policemen and electoral officials, unlike the previous election when long queues formed before polling began. Chiefs of several Bedouin tribes have urged their tribesmen to boycott the elections.