Yemeni elections and support for constitutional amendments

The higher committee for elections in Yemen on Wednesday said that the majority of the Yemenis expressed their support for the constitutional amendments which were proposed by the ruling people's congress party especially those which in particular state to extend the presidential and parliamentary terms.

News reports quoted the spokesman for the committee Mansour Ahmad Seif as saying that the first indications reveal the winning of the " yes" vote in the referendum which was held on Tuesday in Yemen which also covered the election of representatives for the local council, for the first time since the unification of Yemen in 1990.

The spokesman added that the ruling people's conference is in its way to win this voting and then comes the national coalition party for reforms chaired by the speaker of the Yemeni Parliament Abdullah al-Ahmar and the opposition Yemeni socialist party.

The spokesman added that at the local elections the people's general congress party occupies the first position and then comes the" reforms" party and then the " socialists." Number of voters estimated at 88% of the total number of persons registered in voting lists of 5.6 million.

Some 23,000 candidates including at least 120 women were competing on 7032 seats in the local council which prepares development and supervision plans on implementing laws and encouraging investment and protection of the environment.