'That's enough!': Anti-corruption protests reach Kuwait amid regional uprisings

Hundreds of people protested in front of Kuwait's parliament on Wednesday against corruption, as a wave of anti-government demonstrations sweep neighbouring Iraq and Lebanon.

The protesters had been mobilised by former lawmaker Saleh al-Moulla, who used social media to call for a vigil, organised with permission from authorities, under the slogan "That's enough!"

The demonstrators called on speaker of parliament Marzouq al-Ghanim to step down.

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"Resign! Resign, Marzouq, the Kuwaiti people don't want you!", they chanted.

Other lawmakers have accused the speaker of corruption.

Moulla told journalists that the mobilisation was "a message from the people and an expression of the unhappiness of the people in the face of corruption".

The demonstration came amid huge popular protest movements against corruption in Lebanon and Kuwait's neighbour Iraq.

"We want our government to stop stealing public money," protester Ahmed al-Douwaihi told AFP. "They have stolen our hopes and dreams."

Another protester, Abderrahman Hassan Al-Otaibi, said "we want stability in our country."

For lawyer and human rights advocate Mohammed al-Houmaidi, the initiative "is not led by any political movement, but by the population themselves who have come to flag their problems with housing, health and education".

Massive rallies against corruption took place in Kuwait in 2011 during the Arab Spring, with protesters storming the National Assembly and demanding the resignation of the prime minister

Kuwait is ranked 78th on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

Agencies contributed to this report.