By Rania El Gamal

KUWAIT, March 27 (Reuters) - Kuwait banned media on Thursday from broadcasting or publishing stories or campaign commercials on informal tribal primaries commonly held in the Gulf Arab state ahead of official parliamentary elections.

Kuwait's emir dissolved parliament last week to end a persistent standoff with the government and the official KUNA news agency said new elections would be held on May 17.

Official campaigning has yet to begin but a number of tribesmen have already been detained on suspicion of holding informal primaries in which tribes choose candidates to run in the parliamentary polls to boost their chances of winning seats.

Kuwait wants to loosen the grip of tribes on parliament. It passed a new election law in 2006 cutting the number of constituencies from 25 to five in hopes that it would increase competition and reduce the tribal influence and vote-buying that has long plagued polls in the Gulf Arab country.

The Information Ministry said any media involved in the primaries faced punishment under existing election laws of up to three years in jail and a 2,000 dinar fine.

"All newspapers, publications, television and radio stations are banned from advertising the organisation of or participating in the primary elections," it said in a statement on KUNA.

A protest held by hundreds of tribesmen, including former lawmakers, turned violent on Wednesday, with police firing tear gas to disperse crowds who were demanding the release of several men detained on suspicion of holding illegal primaries.

All the detainees have since been released, but tensions have been high in Kuwait since a memorial was held last month for a slain member of Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah guerrilla group.

Shi'ite Muslim figures, including lawmakers, have been questioned for taking part in the memorial for Imad Moughniyah, who was assassinated in a car bombing in Syria in February.

The memorial has raised sectarian tension in the Sunni Muslim-ruled country where a third of the population is Shi'ite.

The local al-Seyassah newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying the government might go as far as banning unauthorised public gatherings in an effort to avoid any escalation.

The Kuwaiti cabinet issued a statement on Monday saying it would "confront all forms of primary elections that establish sectarian, tribal and factional affiliations over national affiliation".

Shi'ites have also held primaries in the past, to choose members of the community to run in the parliamentary elections.

No decree inviting citizens to elect a new assembly has been published yet, so candidates are as yet unable to register or officially begin campaigning.

KUNA said the elections would be held on May 17, which means the cabinet has until April 17 to publish the decree.

Under the Kuwaiti constitution, the ruler should call elections within two months of dissolving parliament. But previous emirs have suspended the assembly for years at a time, since it was set up in 1963.

(Editing by Lin Noueihed and Mary Gabriel)

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