Islamist-led opposition won control of Parliament in Kuwait

The Islamist-led opposition won control of Parliament in a snap election in Kuwait, according to results on Friday, the New York Times reports.

The Amir of Kuwait, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, called the vote in December after dissolving the chamber in response to a deepening political deadlock that has stymied reform and held up vital development projects in the country.

Candidates from the loose opposition bloc took about two-thirds of the assembly's 50 seats, eroding the position of Shi'ite parliamentarians, who had generally sided with the previous government. The opposition bloc, which had just more than 20 seats before the vote, will control the state's fourth parliament in six years.

Sixty-two per cent of Kuwaitis cast their ballots on Thursday, up slightly from 58pc in the previous election in 2009.

The country has not seen the kind of uprisings that have rocked other parts of the Arab world. But the electoral success of an Islamist-led bloc echoed a trend across the region, Gulf Daily News reports.