Opposition candidates have taken nearly 50 percent of the seats in Kuwait's parliament.
Kuwaitis hit the polls on Saturday, electing 24 opposition candidates to the 50 member legislative body, including one woman. Six of the winning candidates are also prominent opposition leaders, who have actively participated in street protests.
Kuwait is the only GCC country with a freely elected parliament.
Only 40 percent of the previous parliament has retained its power, revealing a strong discontentment among Kuwaitis in the wake of significant subsidy cuts and ongoing security concerns following a deadly suicide bombing last year.
"Thank you from the heart, to the citizens of today, for saying their word and choosing me. Thank you from the soul that has derived it’s power from you," Safa Al Hashem, the only female candidate elected, posted to Twitter following the release of the election results.
Hashem previously won a parliamentary seat in 2012 but that parliament was eventually annulled. Fifteen other women ran for seats in Saturday's election. Four women took seat's in the emirate's parliament for the first time in 2009. In 2006, women gained the right to vote and run for office.
Seventy percent of voters turned out for the election. And many Kuwaitis proudly posted on social media about their participation.