On the elections in Yemen and economic reform
Yemen, Politics, 9/22/1999

Observers and diplomats in Yemen said that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is seeking through the presidential elections which will start next Thursday to win great support that would enable him to continue major reforms in a country which suffers very complex economic problems.

However, despite four years of fundamental economic reforms, yet, new deeply rooted problem concerning the institutions are still obstructing the flow of foreign investment which is considered a decisive element in backing Yemen reactivating its economy

In this respect, an economic analyst in the World Bank, Linda Van Gelder, said the economic reforms in Yemen covered part of the population, while another part is still in need of similar reforms, adding that reforms of institutions are the most important, the most complex and need much more time.

But Van Gelder indicated the existence of a political will to make a change in Yemen, especially in the economic fields. She portrayed this matter as a basic precondition for the World Bank which since 1995 has supervised a structural reform program aimed at improving the general budget and revitalizing the economy, a great part of which is supervised by the state.

Economists say foreign investors are still until now hesitant to invest their money in non-oil or gas sectors due to the security incidents during which tens of foreigners have been recently kidnapped by armed tribesmen. Moreover, there is the problem of the labor force in Yemen and its need for expertise with widespread illiteracy that reached 58% of the population.

In this respect the representative of the UN Development Program in Yemen, Serge Elie, said that citizens' contributions to comprehensive economic development are very limited due to the weakness of education.

Despite everything, economists hope that presidential elections in Yemen will contribute to giving a new impetus to the Yemeni government in order to continue and strengthen the reforms.

They, in particular, indicate that Yemen could, thanks to these reforms, reduce deficits between 1994 - 1998 from 17.5 of the GNP to 3.2%.

Previous Stories:
  Some 5.5 million Yemenis to vote for new president   (9/20/1999)
  150 Million Yen a Japanese donation for Yemen   (9/17/1999)
  Three kidnapped Sudanese teachers released in Yemen   (9/16/1999)
  Sudanese Cabinet approves trade agreement with Yemen   (9/13/1999)

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