Congress party keeps majority at Yemeni parliament
Yemen, Politics, 5/1/2003

The ruling Congress Party in Yemen has harvested the most seats of the parliament in the general elections which were held last Sunday.

News reports said that the people's congress party held the first place and received 214 seats, according to partial results announced by the elections committee, followed secondly by the Yemeni coalition for reforms of Islamic inclination, of 40 seats.

The chairman of the Higher Committee For Elections, Khaled al-Sharif, said that votes are not yet counted in 21 election centers. According to the Yemeni law, the elections committee has to declare the results of the elections within 72 hours.

Analysists said that these results are not surprising due to the overwhelming of the ruling party dominance which occupied 226 seats in the previous parliament and in the political life in Yemen. However, the differences between the congress party and the Yemeni coalition for "reforms" ( Islah) were almost matching, and the Islah knocked out the candidates of the ruling party in many election centers.

The Yemeni coalition for reforms accused the government of rigging results of the elections. The coalition assistant secretary general Abdul Wahab al-Atasi said that the results of the elections were designed previously by the ruling party and used all means possible for that.

A report by the international observers indicated large violations greater than that the opposition talked about.

On the other hand, the number victims of the acts of violence which were committed during the elections last Sunday increased to 10 persons, three of them are policemen and 25 persons were wounded.

A police official asked not to be identified said that the victims fell in different incidents that took place among partisans of the candidates especially in Sanaa, al-Jouf province, Zammar and Taez.

Previous Stories:
  Yemeni elections strengthen Saleh's rule, Islamic reforms gains in the capital   (4/29/2003)
  Voting starts in Yemen amid tightened security measures   (4/28/2003)
  Atmospheres of tension in Yemen prior to legislative election, Sunday   (4/26/2003)

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