Kuwaitis braved the weekend's scorching heat and cast ballots for the third time in 17 months for a new parliament. Liberal and tribal groups made some gains, while the country's Shiite minority lost more than half of their seats in the 50-member parliament. Voter turnout was high for the country at above 52 percent, belying expectations during Ramadan fasting and a second call to boycott the elections from some opposition groups. RFI spoke to Hesham Al-Awadi, a professor of history at the American University of Kuwait, about the new parliament could mean for the future of this oil-rich gulf country.