Candidates warned against criticising government

Kuwait: The Emir, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah has issued a stern warning to candidates for the June 29 elections not to criticise the government, vowing he will not allow anyone to "sabotage" Kuwaiti democracy.

The warning came in a statement read by state minister for cabinet affairs Mohammad Sharar.

"The Emir affirmed ... he will not allow anyone to sabotage the well-established [democratic] path," said the statement quoted by the official news agency Kuna.

Meanwhile, Laila Zaid Al Rashed, lawyer and candidate for the upcoming Kuwaiti parliamentary elections, talks to her supporters at a men's diwaniya meeting in Umm Al Haiman, 60km south of Kuwait City on Saturday.