Tens of thousands of Kuwaitis packed into a square opposite parliament on Sunday in a peaceful opposition-led rally against new voting rules ahead of elections on December 1.
Recent demonstrations against the electoral changes, ordered by Kuwait's ruler last month, have led to clashes between protesters and police as marches spread out of the areas usually designated for rallies.
Hundreds of Kuwaiti men wearing white traditional robes streamed into the square where opposition leaders gave speeches from a stage to protesters, many sitting on carpets drinking tea as others sang Kuwaiti songs.
Hundreds of women dressed in black traditional robes sat in a separate area of the audience. Helicopters circled overhead and police lined the streets around the square which were clogged with traffic.
Although oil-rich Kuwait, with its generous welfare state, has been spared the kind of mass uprising seen in Arab Spring movements elsewhere, tensions have intensified between the government and opposition politicians.
Made up of Islamist, tribal and liberal lawmakers, as well as youth groups, the opposition says the new voting rules are an attempt to skew the parliamentary election in favour of pro-government candidates.
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