The disputes flow from a complicated chain of events over the past six months, including the dissolution of the opposition-led parliament and its replacement by a pro-government legislature, followed by a decree from the ruler to amend voting rules that appeared to favour his critics.

The opposition coalition then decided it would not participate in the election and deemed the new parliament — certain to be dominated by pro-government lawmakers — as illegitimate. The tensions also raise worrisome questions for allies such as the US, which seeks to keep thousands of American soldiers in Kuwait as part of the Pentagon’s military counterweight to Iran.

“The core demands of the opposition are more participation and more partnership in government,” said Shafeeq Ghabra, a political affairs professor at Kuwait University.

Anti-government lawmakers — mostly conservatives and their allies — have made almost a cottage industry of lodging corruption accusations and other charges at officials and even members of the ruling family. In the past year, the foreign minister and central bank governor resigned under pressure from the opposition bloc in the 50-seat parliament.

The decision to boycott the Kuwaiti elections now closes off parliament as a forum for a wide spectrum of opposition voices and could stir more street protests, which touched off serious clashes this month.

“The only thing certain is that we are not going to back down,” said Mohammed Qassem, a leader of the election boycott movement.

That leaves the oil-rich country deeply divided.

There is still no clear sense on Kuwait’s direction and whether the political stalemate could flare into unrest. All sides are “working blind” at the moment, said Mary Ann Tetreault, a Gulf affairs expert at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, in an interview with Al Jazeera.

Youth groups and liberal factions’ alliance of convenience with conservatives and tribal leaders is among the most unexpected developments of the political meltdown. For the moment, they are united by the claims that the Amir, His Highness Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, overstepped his authority by changing the Kuwait’s unusual multi-vote system to the standard one-vote-one-person. Previously, Kuwaitis could cast ballots for four candidates. Critics of the change say it gives authorities a greater hand possibly to bribe voters or control candidates.

The presence of Western-oriented Kuwaitis in the protest group poses added challenges to the ruling system, which had generally counted on liberal support in the past. Whether the broad-based opposition holds together remains one of the critical wild cards immediately after Saturday’s election.

“The government and the opposition seem to be in a mood to escalate this further and neither side appears prepared to back down,” said Kristian Coates-Ulrichsen, a research fellow who follows Gulf affairs at the London School of Economics. “Kuwait may be entering the most dangerous and volatile period in its history.”

It got to this point through political brinksmanship and a series of gambits — with each one appearing to dig the country deeper into crisis.