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Kuwaiti voters elected pro-government candidates to replace five opposition lawmakers who resigned two months ago in by-elections that saw one of the lowest turnouts in the emirate's history.

The results will boost the grip of the government on the 50-seat parliament where it already enjoyed a comfortable majority.

Almost all opposition groups boycotted the by-elections as they did the general elections held in February and December of 2012 which were both overturned by court judgements.

What a difference a year makes in the Middle East. One year ago this week, Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, handed over power to his son Sheikh Tamim, joining a short but seemingly growing list of monarchs who have abdicated in favor of their relatives. At the time of his abdication, Hamad left behind an empire of soft power and influence that spanned the entire region. Twelve months on, things could not be more different.

Ten polling stations in Kufra out of the town’s 15 did not open today because protestors blocked the delivery of election material to them, according to an HNEC official in the town.

The deaths of three security security forces members and 17 wounded have been reported in Benghazi after  Ansar Al-Sharia forces opened fire on a Benghazi Joint Security Room (BJSR) convoy as it moved to protect polling stations.

A grouping of left-leaning Egyptian parties has reiterated calls for the amendment of the controversial protest law and the parliamentary elections law, both of which have recently stirred much criticism.

In a meeting on Wednesday, representatives of various parties also condemned security brutality against peaceful youth protesters and called for the release of all those detained for breaching the protest law.