Aljazeera: Kuwaitis vote to choose new government
Voting is under way in oil-exporting Gulf Arab state of Kuwait to elect a fourth parliament in six years after a youth revolt last year led to the resignation of the prime minister.
Kuwaiti opposition parties are expected to make gains in the snap election called by country's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, in December after dissolving the chamber in response to a deepening political deadlock that has stymied reform and held up vital development projects.
Frustration has been growing at the impasse which came to a head in November when protesters led by opposition MPs stormed the assembly demanding the resignation of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah, accusing him of corruption.
Kuwait's parliament is fully elected with legislative powers, unique in a region ruled by autocrats who tolerate little dissent. But formal political parties are not allowed, which means opposition politicians are forced to rely on forming blocs in parliament.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/20122210811676423.html