Kuwait opposition keeps Parliament majority after vote

Opposition lawmakers maintained a majority in Kuwait’s parliament, results showed, after the Gulf state’s third parliamentary vote in as many years held just months into the new emir’s reign

Opposition lawmakers maintained a majority in Kuwait's parliament, results showed on April 5, after the Gulf state's third parliamentary vote in as many years held just months into the new emir's reign.

Opposition candidates won 29 seats in the 50-member Assembly, according to results carried by the official KUNA news agency, matching the outcome of last year's election.

The make-up of the new parliament is very similar to the outgoing one, with all but 11 lawmakers retaining their seats.

"No radical change was expected in the results," said Bader al-Saif, assistant professor of history at Kuwait University.

"This is one of the lowest change ratios," he told AFP.

Parliamentary elections have become an annual occurrence for the OPEC member, which has seven percent of the world's oil reserves and the monarchical Gulf's most powerful elected assembly.

However, clashes between the national assembly and the royal-appointed cabinet have caused constant stalemate, delaying much-needed reforms.