Women line up at polls to vote for first time in parliamentary elections in Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY -- Women in this conservative oil-rich emirate voted in parliamentary elections Thursday for the first time, balloting that also inspired surprisingly vocal calls for reform and criticism of the ruling family.

The polls marked a new stage in the U.S. ally's tentative moves toward greater democracy -- and not just because of the entry of women. The election brought unprecedented political activism in a country where the ruling family has strong influence over politics, with conservative Islamists joining liberals in demanding electoral reform and protesting corruption.

Women, who won the right to vote and run for office last year, went to separate polling stations from men, choosing among 249 candidates competing for 50 parliamentary seats. Twenty-seven candidates were women.

"Before, election day did not mean anything to us," said Gizlan Dashti, 22, a university student wearing jeans and a red headscarf. "Now, women have a say."

'Like a wedding day'

"It feels like a wedding day," said Salwa al-Sanoussi, a 45-year-old housewife, one of the first to arrive at a women's polling station in the wealthy area of Dahyia. She wore black and covered her hair with a matching headcover.

With women making up 57 percent of Kuwait's electorate of 340,000, even fundamentalist Muslims who opposed giving them the right to vote have campaigned for their support.

Representatives of candidates waited for women at a polling station in the Dahyia area, carrying umbrellas to shade them from the scorching sun as they walked from their chauffeured cars to the building. They also presented them with roses and cards bearing the name of their candidate.

Inside the school, four lines of women formed in the first hour of the vote, an indication that turnout might be heavy.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. local time after 12 hours of voting, with lines still present at some stations. Those waiting were allowed to cast ballots. Turnout figures were not immediately released.

Liberal opposition figure, Khaled al-Mutairi, said turnout "exceeded expectations" and that it would be decisive in shaping Kuwait during the next four years.

"We will either go in the direction of reform or corruption," said al-Mutairi, the secretary general of the National Democratic Alliance, a staunch proponent of electoral reform.

Second chance

Women had their first chance to run and vote for public office in April after a Municipal Council seat became vacant. Turnout in that election was lower than expected, but one of the two female candidates finished second to the tribal nominee, and more men than women voted for her.

But discontent with the new political rights of women simmers. Aisha al-Rsheid, a journalist and businesswoman running in a stronghold of Muslim fundamentalists, had her campaign posters defaced. Sideburns, mustaches and goatees were drawn on her smiling face, and one poster was scrawled with, "We don't want you, old woman."

Saudi Arabia is now the only Arab country that holds elections but doesn't allow women to vote.

Kuwait has been a key U.S. partner in the Middle East since American troops drove Iraq from the small, wealthy country during the 1991 Gulf War. Kuwait hosts thousands of U.S. troops who deploy to Iraq and serve as a regional security buffer.

During the campaign, reformist candidates -- who include both Islamic fundamentalists and secular activists -- spoke out harshly against corruption, accusing ministers and even members of the ruling family of mismanagement and wasting state land.

The emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, at one point expressed his "deep hurt and dismay" over what he called the "low level of dialogue" in the campaign, but the government did not attempt to clamp down on the criticism.

Kuwait's parliament has long broken down along lines of tribal affiliation or Islamists and liberals. Many expect it will now be reshaped, at least temporarily, along the divide between reformists and government supporters.

"We are proud of this day that proves there is democracy in this country," said Ali Thnayyan al-Ghanem, the head of the powerful Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as he waited to vote at a men's polling station. "I am optimistic reformists will win a large number of seats."

The debate started over a dispute over redrawing the country's 25 electoral precincts. The Cabinet sought to cut the number of constituencies to 10, but a bloc of 29 lawmakers wanted them reduced to five, saying larger precincts would minimize vote-buying and voting for members of the same tribe or religious sect.

The lawmakers, backed by thousands of young men and women who protested in the streets, accused the government of procrastination and lack of seriousness about political reform. They stormed out when the Cabinet introduced its 10-constituency proposal.

The emir, worried the dispute was threatening national unity, dissolved parliament in late May and called for an early election. The vote originally was scheduled for mid-2007.

Emirs have dissolved parliament four times since it was created in 1962, sometimes leaving the country without a legislature for years. Each dissolution came after lawmakers became too critical.

But parliament has shown it can be forceful in disagreements with the government. For years, Islamists and conservative tribal members of parliament held up the emir's efforts to give women the right to vote. The bill finally passed in May 2005.