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KUWAIT CITY : Kuwaitis are voting Saturday to elect a new parliament in this oil-rich Gulf state which has been rocked by political turmoil, with many saying they want change and an end to political feuding.
"I voted for a new face that was not in parliament before and whom I think has new ideas," Fatima Mubarak, a young housewife, told AFP after casting her ballot in Jabriya district, 12 kilometres (seven miles) south of Kuwait City.
"We are fed up with political crises which halted any achievement. We are fed up with lots of talk and no action," she said, adding that "I voted for change and achievement."
Twenty-seven women are among 275 candidates running for the 50-seat parliament, after a campaign which focused on ways to end political wrangling and put the wealthy OPEC state back on the track of development.
The early election is being held after Emir 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.
At a polling station for men in Qadsia district, one retired voter said he wanted a fresh start for Kuwait.
"I voted for four new candidates. I want to see change to serve the interests of the country. Disagreements between parliament and government undermined our interests," 65-year-old Hussein Ahmad Yussef told AFP.
A moderate to heavy turnout was reported at most polling stations as people voted amid tight security and high temperatures in the desert state.
Candidate Aseel al-Awadhi, a US-educated university professor backed by the liberal National Democratic Alliance, said she believes people will vote for change.
"I believe Kuwaiti voters will vote for change and I can see a general tendency towards change," Awadhi told AFP.
The election is being held under a new system in which the number of constituencies has been cut from 25 to five, a demand which united the opposition in the June 2006 polls.
Women are standing and voting for only the second time. No female candidate won a seat two years ago.
Thekrayat Abdullah said she wants the next parliament to focus on essential issues such as education, health and the high cost of living.
"I voted for change for the best. I want the next parliament to resolve problems facing Kuwaiti women and also to confront sharp rises in prices," Abdullah said.
Seven Sunni and Shiite Islamist, liberal and nationalist opposition groups are fielding some 45 candidates and backing 20 others, according to an AFP survey. But they are less united than they were two years ago.
Kuwaiti tribes -- half of the electorate -- are fielding around 35 candidates.
Thirty-eight members of the outgoing parliament and 14 from previous parliaments are seeking re-election.
Sefragated voting is at 94 polling stations in schools, 47 each for men and women.
About 361,700 people are eligible to vote in a country with a native population of just over one million. The voting age is 21 and servicemen in the police and army are banned from taking part.
Women voters -- 200,500, or 55.4 percent of the eligible electorate -- outnumber their male counterparts at 161,200.
The polls opened at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) and close 12 hours later, with the first results expected early on Sunday.
Analysts have predicted that more than half of the outgoing MPs will lose their seats, but Sunni Islamists and tribal conservatives are expected to retain their majority.
Parliament, elected for a four-year term, has legislative and monitoring powers and can vote ministers out of office. Unelected ministers become ex-officio members of the house. - AFP/ms
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