Kuwaiti women's attempt to gain political rights took a new turn Monday when 10 MPs who had wanted Article 1 of the Elections Law to be referred to the Constitutional Court to determine its legality withdrew their request. At the same time a Cabinet proposal that a women suffrage bill be discussed at a special session next week failed to garner support and was referred to Parliament's Interior and Defense Committee. Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah told newsmen after the parliamentary session the Cabinet remains hopeful women will be enfranchised."We still have high hopes the law on women suffrage will be approved, Insha Allah," added the Premier. Sheikh Sabah also said the rejection of the Cabinet's amendments to Article 3 of the Kuwait Municipality Law has nothing do with full political rights for women. In response to a question about the possibility of dissolving parliament because it did not support women suffrage, he said "we have not thought about this issue 
and we hope it does not happen." An Amiri decree in 1999 granting political rights to women was rejected by parliament after it was put to a vote. Last month 10 liberal, independent and Shiite MPs proposed referring Article 1 of the Election Law that stipulates voting rights to Kuwaitis over 21 years of age without any reference to gender to the Constitutional Court.