Kuwait's main opposition says to boycott December polls

Kuwait's main opposition will boycott December 1 parliamentary elections over changes to voting rules, an opposition politician said on Saturday.   

The opposition, which includes Islamist and tribal groups, has been involved in a political tussle since last year with a government controlled by the ruling family of the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

Earlier, Kuwait set Dec. 1 as the date for a parliamentary election  at an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Saturday, state media reported, a day after the oil producer's ruler amended voting laws.   

Friday's announcement that the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, had ordered changes to the voting system prompted the opposition to say it was considering a boycott of the coming election.   

Sabah had dissolved parliament on Oct. 7, meaning that an election had to take place by mid-December.   

Persistent political turmoil has held up development projects in the Gulf state, and ally of the United States.   

"The cabinet ... approved the ordering of a call to voters to elect members of the parliament on Dec. 1, 2012," said the statement carried by Kuwait News Agency (Kuna).  


REUTERS