Here are key points (via AFP) from yesterday's parliamentary election in Kuwait. The parliament has 50 seats for elected members, plus six for unelected cabinet ministers.

• Sunni Islamists down to four seats, from 23 previously.

• Shia candidates won 15 seats – the largest number ever (al-Arabiya gives the figure as 17). Shia account for about 30% of Kuwait's native population.

• The Awazem, Mutair and Ajmans tribes, representing more than 400,000 people, won one seat compared with an average of about 17 in previous parliaments.

• Parliament includes 30 new faces as a result of the opposition boycott.

• Women won three seats (four in previous election).

• Information ministry says turnout was 38.8%; opposition say it was 26.7%.

The Impatient Bedouin blog has a complete list of the winning candidates. The list highlights a major problem with the new voting system: it is possible to win a seat in parliament with very few votes. One of the winning candidates got only 502 votes (2% of the total in his constituency).

As the Impatient Bedouin notes, this low threshold for success increases the risk of manipulation, vote-buying, etc.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 2 December 2012.