Muslim hardliners make strong gains in Kuwait's election, no women winners

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Official final results for Kuwait's parliamentary elections show strong gains for Muslim hardliners. Women candidates, however, have failed to win any seats. Sunday results say religious conservatives gained two seats to hold 24, nearly half of the 50-member parliament in this oil-rich US ally. Elections were held after the country's ruler dissolved the parliament in March when relations between it and the Cabinet had broken down irrevocably. Westernized liberal Aseel al-Awadi, the only woman supported by a political group, came very close to being elected. Women gained the right to run for office in 2005. The outcome of Saturday's vote doesn't bode well for ending tensions between the Cabinet and the parliament. Several former lawmakers described as "troublemakers" by the government have returned.