Kuwait votes in a parliamentary election on Saturday, two months after the ruler of the world's fourth largest oil exporter dissolved the Islamist-dominated parliament to end a long-running dispute with the government.
Following are possible scenarios about what might happen WHO ARE THE LIKELY WINNERS AND LOSERS?* The new parliament is expected to be dominated yet again by Islamists and tribal notables, raising chances of a new row with the government which could further delay reforms in the OPEC country that wants to diversify its economy and attract more investments.* Analysts see no big change in the formation of the new assembly, with about 20 of the 50 seats seeming safe for the Islamists, the strongest force in Kuwaiti society.* Liberal candidates could get up to 8 or 10 seats in the new assembly, but this is unlikely to influence the overall stance of parliament, which is dominated by Islamists who oppose scaling back Kuwait's welfare state.* Some 16 women candidates are running in Saturday's elections, after they failed to get any seat in the 2008 and 2006 votes. Some analysts see a better chance for women to win a seat this time despite the growing influence of Islamists in the conservative and male-dominated Gulf Arab state.The rest are expected to be either independent or tribal politicians, many of whom usually team up with Islamists.To read the full article please visit Reuters UK website.
Kuwait votes in a parliamentary election on Saturday, two months after the ruler of the world's fourth largest oil exporter dissolved the Islamist-dominated parliament to end a long-running dispute with the government.
Following are possible scenarios about what might happen WHO ARE THE LIKELY WINNERS AND LOSERS?* The new parliament is expected to be dominated yet again by Islamists and tribal notables, raising chances of a new row with the government which could further delay reforms in the OPEC country that wants to diversify its economy and attract more investments.* Analysts see no big change in the formation of the new assembly, with about 20 of the 50 seats seeming safe for the Islamists, the strongest force in Kuwaiti society.* Liberal candidates could get up to 8 or 10 seats in the new assembly, but this is unlikely to influence the overall stance of parliament, which is dominated by Islamists who oppose scaling back Kuwait's welfare state.* Some 16 women candidates are running in Saturday's elections, after they failed to get any seat in the 2008 and 2006 votes. Some analysts see a better chance for women to win a seat this time despite the growing influence of Islamists in the conservative and male-dominated Gulf Arab state.The rest are expected to be either independent or tribal politicians, many of whom usually team up with Islamists.To read the full article please visit Reuters UK website.