Women voted in parliamentary elections in Kuwait for the first time today.
The vote inspired surprisingly vocal calls for reform and criticism of the ruling family.
Women make the sign of victory as they await their turns to cast their votes in Kuwait today
The election brought unprecedented political activism in a country where the ruling family has strong influence over politics, with conservative Islamists joining liberals in demanding electoral reform and an end to corruption.
Women, who won the right to vote and run for office last year, went to separate polling stations from men, choosing among 252 candidates competing for 50 parliamentary seats. Twenty-eight candidates were women.
"Before, election day did not mean anything to us," said Gizlan Dashti (22), a university student wearing jeans and a red headscarf. "Now, women have a say."
With women making up 57 per cent of Kuwait's electorate of 340,000, even fundamentalist Muslims who opposed giving them the right to vote have campaigned for their support.
AP