Kuwait Women Cast First Parliament Votes

An election campaign volunteer, center, helps an elderly Kuwaiti woman voter, left, into a polling station at Salwa, Kuwait City on Thursday, June 29, 2006 during the country's parliamentary elections, the first to include women. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari) (Gustavo Ferrari - AP)

In some of the wealthier districts, women arriving to vote were presented with roses and escorted into the polling stations under umbrellas to shield them from the scorching 108-degree heat.

"Women are the X factor in the equation," said candidate Abdullah al-Naibari, who predicted the female vote would prove decisive in determining whether reformists or conservatives win control of the legislature.

In the first turnout figure to be issued, state television said that in the Kuwait City suburb of Qibla, 66 percent of female voters and 77 percent of male voters had cast ballots.

The election sparked a surprisingly strong campaign for reform in Kuwait, where the ruling Al Sabah family has long headed the government and maintains a strong influence on politics.

Reformist candidates _ who include 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.

Authorities did not curb the campaigns, but the emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, expressed his "deep hurt and dismay" over what he called the "low level of dialogue."

Candidate al-Kheder said the campaign talk had "exaggerated" corruption in Kuwait and the debate had become too confrontational.

"Democracy is very beautiful, but there has to be respect and finesse in disagreement," she said.

The election was called after an unprecedented debate over redrawing the country's 25 electoral districts _ each of which elects two legislators.

Reformists called for the number of constituencies to be cut to five, arguing that would make it almost impossible to buy votes. But the Cabinet introduced a bill that would cut the voting districts to 10. Reformist lawmakers stormed out of the parliament in protest.

Days later the emir dissolved the legislature and called new elections.

Parliament has long been divided along tribal lines as well as between Islamists and liberals, but many Kuwaitis now hope the new legislature will split along the more political lines of reform versus conservatism.

Reformist candidates have vowed to table a bill to reduce the electoral districts to five.