Kuwaitis in peaceful march against new-rules parliament

Tens of thousands of Kuwaitis marched in the capital on Saturday in a peaceful protest against a parliament elected last week in the Gulf Arab state under voting rules deemed unfair by the opposition. Rule changes passed by an emergency decree in October, which reduced the number of votes per citizen to one from four, have prompted a spate of mass demonstrations and led the opposition to boycott the December 1 election.
The government, in which members of the ruling family hold top posts, says the new rules bring Kuwait into line with democratic norms elsewhere. The opposition, which includes Islamist and populist politicians, says the changes were designed to skew polls in favour of pro-government candidates. Crowds of men, women and children wearing orange, the colour of the protest movement, marched along a coast road on the edge of Kuwait City, heading for Kuwait Towers, a major landmark by the Gulf.
Holding Kuwaiti and orange flags, they chanted: "The people want to bring down the decree!" Singing and clapping, some flashed four fingers - the number of votes under the old system - at a police helicopter circling above. Parents took pictures of children holding up protest signs and balloons during the march which dispersed peacefully after around one and-a-half hours.
Years of political turmoil have held up investment and economic reforms in Kuwait, a US ally and Opec member state which has held five parliamentary elections since mid-2006. The protesters say they want wider political reforms but not an Arab Spring-style revolution. "We reject the last election because of the one vote system, because most of the people did not participate," 21-year-old student Saad al-Zobi said.
"We want the four-vote system back and new elections," he said as people in traditional Kuwaiti robes and headscarves and others in orange T-shirts and jeans milled around. Ruler Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah has said his amendments will help preserve national security and stability. Under the old system, politicians could urge supporters to cast additional ballots for like-minded candidates - a way to build informal alliances in a country where parties are banned.