Kuwaiti Prime Minister SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said Monday the Kuwaiti governmentwas upbeat on the approval in the parliament of a draft lawgranting women voting right, the official KUNA news agencyreported.

"We have great hopes the law will be approved," Sheikh Sabahtold reporters after a National Assembly session.

Earlier in the day, the National Assembly approved the secondreading of a draft municipal election law, but failed to grantwomen the right to vote and run in these elections.

The minister said the assembly's rejection of the amendment toArticle 3 of the municipal law over women's rights did not signalany similar decision over women's political rights law. 

He added the government would wait for the parliamentaryCommittee on Interior and Defense Affairs to conclude study of thedraft law and "then we will ask for speeding up discussion of thelaw."

Meanwhile, Sheikh Sabah rejected speculations that the National Assembly would be dissolved in case of the rejection of the women'srights law. "We have not considered this matter ... and we hopethis won't happen."

Source: Xinhua