Kuwaitis vote on Saturday for a new parliament they hope will halt austerity measures forced by falling oil revenues in the emirate, known for its cradle-to-grave welfare system.

Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, 87, dissolved the parliament in October after a dispute between lawmakers and the government over petrol price hikes of up to about 80 percent.

Almost all opposition groups boycotted the previous two elections, in December 2012 and July 2013, in protest after the government unilaterally amended the voting system.

Around 30 opposition candidates, including several former MPs, and a number of their allies are vying for places in the 50-seat parliament.

Analyst Dahem al-Qahtani said he expects the opposition to win about 15 seats, with some eight supporters, making a very strong bloc in the next parliament.

During the campaign, several candidates accused some members of the ruling family of interfering in the election.

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