The elections take place in the shadow of a political crisis that led to parliament's dissolution last month, triggering the most intense campaign in the emirate's 44 years of parliamentary polling.
Opposition candidates have accused the establishment of corruption and interference in the polls, not sparing the ruling Sabah family.
"This campaign has definitely been the fiercest in Kuwait's history, since it came after the dissolution of parliament following popular demands for reform," political analyst Ayed Al Manna said.
Opposition candidates branded the election a "battle between good and evil." Electoral reform, specifically the call to cut the number of constituencies from the current 25 to five, and corruption have dominated the campaign.
"It is a fierce battle between those who want fundamental reform of the election system and those who want a cosmetic change that would virtually maintain the status quo," Manna said.
Parliament was dissolved by the emir on May 21 in a row between the government and opposition MPs over a bill to reduce the number of constituencies.
Opposition candidates have vowed that their priority if elected will be to introduce legislation reducing the number of constituencies to five.
Their fiery rhetoric prompted a stern warning from Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, who vowed that he would not allow anyone to "sabotage" Kuwaiti democracy.
Twenty-eight women are among 253 hopefuls standing for the 50-seat parliament, which has legislative and monitoring powers and can even unseat the emir on the recommendation of the government.
Kuwaiti women won political rights last year, but analysts believe that they stand little chance of winning seats under the current election system.
Forty-six outgoing MPs, including 28 of 29 opposition members who walked out of parliament in mid-May over the electoral reform dispute, are seeking a new four-year mandate, many representing political groupings.
With a native population of 1 million, Kuwait has 340,000 eligible voters. They include 195,000 women, or 57 percent of the electorate.
Parliament's importance grew after it voted former emir Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah out of office on health grounds in January amid a row over succession in the ruling family.
It also voted to appoint Sheikh Sabah as new emir.
"The next parliament will play a key role in forming the future political leadership of Kuwait. It certainly won't be an ordinary assembly," liberal writer Ahmed Al Sarraf said.
Opposition candidates have accused their pro-government rivals of vote-buying and charged senior government officials and ruling family members with meddling in the election.
"Huge amounts of money have been pumped into the election ... I think it is part of the fight for a piece of the cake, which has become huge," Sarraf said.
OPEC member Kuwait pumps 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, and is estimated to have assets of more than $150 billion. This figure is expected to grow further as crude prices remain high.
The opposition is a loose alliance of Islamists, liberals, nationalists, former MPs and independents who are united in their call for reform and fighting corruption, but who differ on many other issues.
Islamists pushing for implementation of Sharia (Islamic law) are expected to widen their representation, with some analysts predicting that they will win at least 20 seats against the 18 that they had in the previous parliament.
Nasser Al Abdali, head of the Kuwait Society for the Development of Democracy, said that he expected the opposition to clinch 30 to 35 seats, up from 29.
Record crowds have attended opposition election rallies despite the searing heat, and youth organizations have been instrumental in the campaign, forcing many candidates to sign pledges supporting reform and to reveal their wealth if elected.
"Judging by the people's reaction, there is wide support for the opposition program ... If political funds fail to influence the outcome, we will have a very strong parliament," Manna said.
© 2006 Agence France-Presse
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