Kuwait’s parliament has overwhelmingly approved an amendment to an electoral law that bars anyone convicted of insulting the country’s emir from standing in national elections.

According to Kuwait’s state news agency, KUNA, the parliament has approved the amendment that stipulates "a citizen convicted of offending God, the Prophets, or the Emir through a final court ruling shall not be allowed to contest the elections."

The measure will prevent certain prominent opposition politicians, including former lawmaker Musallam al-Barrak, from contesting or voting in elections.

Barrak is serving a two-year prison sentence over a 2012 speech, in which he addressed the emir by saying: "...we will not let you, your Highness, practice autocratic rule."

In June 2015, Kuwait’s Criminal Court sentenced human rights activist, Rana al-Sadoun, to three years in jail for repeating Barrak’s critical speech about the country’s election law.

Barrak’s speech was read in video uploads by human rights activists and his supporters.

Barrak and other opposition figures said changes made in 2012 to the election law were intended to prevent them from getting power.

In 2012, Kuwaiti demonstrators held large street protests across the Western-allied state, over changes to the electoral law, which demonstrators said disadvantaged the opposition.

In recent years, dozens of online activists have been jailed for insulting Kuwait’s rulers. Several others are still waiting trial for similar charges.

Last year, a Kuwaiti court also sentenced online activist Abdullah al-Enezi to five years in prison for insulting the country’s emir. A stateless activist, Enezi was arrested in February 2014 for attending a gathering of stateless people, known as bidoons, who called on the Kuwaiti officials to grant them citizenship.

Kuwait’s constitution says the emir is "immune and inviolable" and insulting him carries a penalty of up to five years in jail.

Kuwaiti courts have sentenced a number of other people to various prison terms on charges of insulting the emir.