Saturday's snap elections, Kuwait's fourth since February 2012,were called by the Emir in Oct 2016 after the government said "delicate regional circumstances and... security challenges" required a popular vote.
The move, however, was widely seen as linked to disputes between government and parliament over austerity measures including a sharp hike in state-subsidised petrol prices.
State-run television reported on Saturday that voter turnout was high at several polling stations, with some centres reporting 70 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots.
Women, who have had the right to vote in Kuwait since 2005, were some of the first to start queueing outside polling stations when voting began
Polls have closed in Kuwait's parliamentary elections as voters cast their ballots in five districts to elect 50 new lawmakers for the next four years.
The results of Saturday's vote are likely to make it harder for the government to work with the new assembly to pass further reforms
With no political parties, it was difficult to pin down precisely how many opposition MPs had been elected. But some estimates put the number at between 17 and 24.
The opposition, including the Muslim Brotherhood, liberals and pan-Arabists, had boycotted the election in 2012 to protest against changes to election laws they saw as favouring pro-government candidates.
At least two cabinet members failed to win parliament seats this time, apparently an indication of popular discontent with the government's austerity plans.
The parliament of Western-allied Kuwait had been due to run until July 2017, but the Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, dissolved it in October, saying "security challenges" in the region - an apparent reference to wars in Iraq and Syria - should be met by consulting the popular will.
More than 290 candidates, including 14 women, were standing in an assembly that enjoys legislative powers but has often been at odds with the government of Kuwait, one of the world's wealthiest countries, thwarting attempts to strengthen fiscal discipline
The move, however, was widely seen as linked to disputes between government and parliament over austerity measures including a sharp hike in state-subsidised petrol prices.
State-run television reported on Saturday that voter turnout was high at several polling stations, with some centres reporting 70 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots.
Women, who have had the right to vote in Kuwait since 2005, were some of the first to start queueing outside polling stations when voting began
Polls have closed in Kuwait's parliamentary elections as voters cast their ballots in five districts to elect 50 new lawmakers for the next four years.
The results of Saturday's vote are likely to make it harder for the government to work with the new assembly to pass further reforms
With no political parties, it was difficult to pin down precisely how many opposition MPs had been elected. But some estimates put the number at between 17 and 24.
The opposition, including the Muslim Brotherhood, liberals and pan-Arabists, had boycotted the election in 2012 to protest against changes to election laws they saw as favouring pro-government candidates.
At least two cabinet members failed to win parliament seats this time, apparently an indication of popular discontent with the government's austerity plans.
The parliament of Western-allied Kuwait had been due to run until July 2017, but the Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, dissolved it in October, saying "security challenges" in the region - an apparent reference to wars in Iraq and Syria - should be met by consulting the popular will.
More than 290 candidates, including 14 women, were standing in an assembly that enjoys legislative powers but has often been at odds with the government of Kuwait, one of the world's wealthiest countries, thwarting attempts to strengthen fiscal discipline
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