Atmospheres of tension in Yemen prior to legislative election, Sunday
Yemen, Politics, 4/26/2003

On Sunday, the Yemenis will head to balloting centers to take part in the third legislative elections following the unification of the two parts of Yemen in 1990 in atmospheres of tension between the authority and the Islamists because of the position concerning terrorism.

The Yemeni 22 political parties and organizations signed on April 8th a document "of points of control for a free and honest elections" during which they vowed to hold the elections in free and democratic atmosphere.

The previous elections resulted in armed clashes between rival tribes. The supreme committee of the elections announced on April 21st the suspension of making the legislative elections in one of the electoral circles in Omran province to the north of Sanaa following acts of violence that damaged the elections there.

A statement issued by the elections committee and published by the people's general congress party ( the ruling party) said that the committee decided to "suspend the legislative elections due to be held on April 27 ( tomorrow ) in the electoral circle 281 in Omran governorate, 60 Km to the north of Sanaa."

The suspension of elections in this circle comes after a procession for the governorate of Omran, Taha Ahmad Maher was exposed to fire by the guards of Sadeq Abdullah al-Ahmar, the son of the chairman of the Yemeni opposition coalition party for reforms on Wednesday in Khumar area, the site of the circles concerned.

A statement by the elections committee considered this attack as a crime of the elections campaign and a violation to the general elections law.

The Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called for the formation of a committee for investigation in this attack after the latter had submitted his resignation from his post, demanding unveiling those responsible for it.

Differences, surfaced between the ruling Congress Party and the opposition Yemeni coalition party for reforms in reciprocated campaigns between al-Mithaq paper, the mouthpiece of the first and al- Sahwa, paper, mouthpiece of the second. The al-Mithaq said describing al-Sahwa paper as "the Taliban's paper of Yemen."

However, the higher elections committee announced that more than 35,000 civilian observers will supervise the smooth running of the elections.

In the previous parliamentary elections, the general people's congress party won 236 seats, the Yemeni coalition party for reforms 62 seats while other Naserite, national parties and independents shared the other remaining seats.

Previous Stories:
  Iraq's representative at the AL asks for asylum in Yemen   (4/11/2003)
  Yemeni official calls for supporting the strong Arab will   (4/7/2003)
  On the Yemeni general elections   (4/1/2003)

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