November 10 marked the 50th anniversary of the Kuwaiti constitution, which the government celebrated with a world record fireworks show. But opposition activists say the weekend also saw a record number of protesters, who demanded the repeal of controversial election changes passed by the Kuwaiti emir’s decree.

Government critics say the amendments to the voting laws unfairly skew the parliamentary elections in favour of pro-government candidates. These elections come after the opposition made major gains in last year’s vote, leading to two dissolutions of parliament. Kuwait’s parliament has now been dissolved five times in six years.

While some want an all-out boycott of the vote on December 1, others say engagement is the key to reform. So what is the right way forward?

In this episode of The Stream, we speak to:

Mohammad Qasem @MoeQasem
General co-ordinator, Public Committee for Election Boycott
kwboycott.wordpress.com

Mary Ann Tetreault
Distinguished Professor of International Affairs Emerita, Trinity University

What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.