Men win all but 1 seat in Kuwait parliamentary election

KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Results from Kuwait’s election show that men have won all but one of the seats in the oil-rich country’s parliament.

Safaa al-Hashem was the only woman to win one of the 50 seats up for grabs in Saturday’s election. The liberal candidate has served in previous parliaments, and was one of 15 women who ran for seats.

Vote tallies released Sunday also showed gains for members of the opposition, who sat out the last election in 2013.

Kuwait’s government is eager to further reign in generous public spending as the OPEC member copes with a slump in oil prices.

The Western-allied country has the most freewheeling political system among the wealthy Gulf Arab states, though power ultimately rests with the hereditary emir.