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KUWAIT CITY, Jun 29, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Voting in parliamentary elections began in Kuwait Thursday, with women both running as candidates and voting for the first time.
While political parties are not allowed, candidates from Islamist movements and pro-reform liberal groups have formed identifiable blocs, the Financial Times reported.
The Kuwaiti parliament has 65 seats, 29 of which were held by opposition members going into the vote. The country has 340,000 voters, 57 percent of whom are women.
However, there have been widespread reports of vote-buying by various candidates, including gifts of air conditioners and Chanel handbags stuffed with cash, the newspaper said.
The election is being held a year ahead of schedule, and was necessitated in May by the new emir, Sheik Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who dissolved parliament. The Times said the move was apparently to shake up parliament and reshape it more to his liking.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
