fb-pixelKuwait police fire tear gas at protesters - The Boston Globe Skip to main content

Kuwait police fire tear gas at protesters

Men ran from tear gas fired by police during a Kuwait City demonstration. No injuries had been reported.G. Ferrari/Associated Press

KUWAIT CITY — Police in Kuwait used tear gas and stun grenades on Sunday against ­antigovernment protesters ­defying orders not to stage marches through the Gulf ­nation’s capital.

Demonstrators were ­allowed to gather outside Parliament to protest changes in voting rules for elections set for Dec. 1. But other groups broke away and staged defiant ­processions through Kuwait City.

No injuries were immediately reported, but the clashes highlighted the deepening tensions between Kuwait’s ­Western-allied ruling family and opposition factions led by Islamists.

Opposition groups have ­objected to changes in voting rules for the upcoming ­elections that they say could ­undercut their rising clout in the oil-producing nation.

Advertisement



Kuwait has the most politically empowered Parliament among the Gulf Arab states, with opposition lawmakers ­often directly challenging ­government officials over ­alleged corruption and power abuses.

Kuwait’s deepening political crisis could bring further rifts in one of Washington’s most important Gulf allies.

Associated Press