KUWAIT (AP) – Kuwaitis voted Saturday in elections for the all-male Parliament of this oil-rich Gulf state, with many voters angry over squabbling among lawmakers and hoping for political reform.

Scores of women, barred from voting in the actual elections, cast ballots in mock polling booths. The liberal groups who organized the mock ballot made the setup as real as possible, with booths, candidate posters, brochures and buttons.

Only men over 21 can vote in the real election. During the campaign, many liberals called for allowing women to vote. Other Kuwaitis accused the outgoing Parliament of failing to deal with major issues such as privatization of the state-dominated economy.

“I hope that the next Parliament will be better,” said 36-year-old merchant Abdul-Samad al-Shatti, as he waited to vote. “I hope lawmakers will be able to make good on their promises and put the country’s issues ahead of their personal interests.”

Kuwait’s ruler, the emir, has the final say in government and has the power to dissolve the legislature. Still, the 50-seat Parliament does have significant influence: It must approve all legislation and has blocked the royal ruler’s attempts to give women the vote.

The outgoing Parliament is dominated by Islamists and blocs that support the Cabinet.

First results from Saturday’s voting were expected late Saturday night.

There are no political parties in Kuwait, with many fearing this would bring strife. Candidates run as representative of three fundamentalist and two liberal “movements,” or as independents.

Amer al-Tamimi, an economist going out to vote, expected little political change immediately – but hoped it would come in the long term.

“It is high time we had political parties and increased the electorate so that it represents more than 15 percent of Kuwaitis,” he said.

Women have been kept out of politics since the country elected its first Parliament in 1963. Deputy Prime Minister Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah told a magazine last month that he believes the incoming Parliament will grant women political rights.

Health inspector Salwa al-Azmi was the first woman to cast a mock ballot. “I was so excited, I couldn’t sleep last night – just like men couldn’t sleep last night,” she said.

Al-Azmi, 26, said she had studied all the candidates in her area before making her choice.

“I tried to make a balance between voting for members of my tribe and the programs of the candidates,” she said.

Many voters cast ballots based on local ties rather than broader politics – a fact that some candidates have tried to discourage, arguing that loyalties should be to the nation.

Electronics engineer Mostafa al-Muttawah, 61, voted Saturday only as a favor to a friend who is running.

“I am with the Cabinet all the way. Whatever they decide, I approve of,” he said. “Parliament is nothing but a nuisance and a headache.”

AP-ES-07-05-03 1050EDT

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