Yemen: Presidential elections on September 23

The publication "Yemeni September 26" on Sunday quoted the chairman of the Yemeni higher committee for elections, Abdullah Hussein Barakat, as saying that the first presidential elections in Yemen through direct voting by Yemeni citizens will be carried out on September 23. He added that the voting committee will include some 50,000 persons, males and females.

Some 30 persons have nominated themselves for the elections, including Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the chairman of the opposition Yemeni Socialist Party, Ali Saleh Abbad, better known as Muqbil.

The Yemeni parliament is to meet tomorrow to ratify the nominations for presidency. According to the Yemeni constitution, each candidate has to obtain the support of 10% of the parliament's members.