Local Elections: Antidemocratic Violations & Incidents [Archives:2001/09/Reportage]
The outcome of the local council elections and the referendum on the constitutional amendments seems to have a negative impact on politics and democracy. The elections were marked by clear interference from the security systems and GPC MPs to determine results in many constituencies in favor of the ruling party.
Observers say that the elections have proved the GPC’s upper hand, which enables it to determine the result of elections in his favor by exploiting the media, public property and the army.
The elections also marked a retreat in women’s participation in political life. There were only 108 women candidates as against 220,665 men. The opposition parties are still doubtful about the results, indicating that violations took place all over Yemen.
Yemeni Political Parties Unanimous on Violation
Yemeni opposition parties, as well as the ruling party, have been unanimous in claiming that many violations permeated the electoral process from it’s beginning and also during the days that proceeded the elections.
The parties have issued many statements in which they exchanged accusations regarding the rigging of the elections. The ruling party (GPC) has issued several statements accusing the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) of sedition and creating crises.
An official source at the General Secretariat of the GPC condemned attacks on ballot boxes and acts of violence committed by extremist elements of Islah against a number of main and security committees at a number of constituencies in different governorate aiming, basically, at disrupting the democratic process and the success that was achieved through our people’s enthusiasm for exercising their legal rights in the referendum.
For its part, the Islah party considered violations to have been committed by the GPC, expressing regret for such occurrences. An Islah statement has said that the GPC has used authority and the official media for its party purposes.
A statement by Opposition Coordination Council, which groups five parties led by the Yemeni Socialist Party and Nassirite organization, considered the elections to be neither democratic nor legitimate, considering the conduct of the ruling party which it attributed to its desire to return to a one-party system.
Opposition parties expressed their determination to lodge a lawsuit against the Supreme Committee of Elections, challenging the legitimacy of the elections.
Security Committees
A number of reports highlighted the interference of the security committees to determine the results of the elections as well as those of the referendum. According to official statistics, there were 60,000 soldiers plus a reserve of 30,000 in the security committees. The many confrontations and incidents that took place during, or before voting, were treated as a sign that the security soldiers were siding with GPC candidates, indicating that if such elements carried out their duties properly none of the incidents would have occurred. People’s reports add that many confrontations broke out between security men and voters. More than 40 people were killed, and many others injured, during these clashes.
Incidents
More than 113 incidents of firing or explosions took place before and during the election process. According to reports by the different parties, including the GPC, most of the constituencies over the country witnessed confrontations and incidents resulting from exchanges of accusations, especially between the GPC and Islah. Confrontations in Sana’a resulted in the serious injury of a number of candidates. On the day after after the voting , a candidate of the Nassirite Unionist party in Rada’a, Mohammed Moqbel Jaraoun, was murdered. According to sources from the party, the killers belong to the GPC.
With news of Islah victories in many cities such as Taiz, Al-Jawf and Hadhramaut ,confrontations between Islah and the GPC are mounting day after day.
Below are some of the violations that were recorded by the local and foreign teams supervising the elections process:
Center No: 14 Sana’a – Voting cards listed four candidates although the genuine candidates were only 3. Removing the fourth name delayed voting until 8 am the next day.
15-A-Sana’a – More than 20 military vehicles carrying army men in civilian clothes were brought to vote. Voters in this center were prevented from giving their opinion on the constitutional amendments under the pretext of a lack of cards.
15-Muadh School Sana’a – Voting was stopped at midday due to cards running out.
17-Sana’a – Voting cards for the referendum ran out at midday. Members of the observing committees were changed and 10 polls were added for each sub-committee. Some female voters discovered that someone has saved them the trouble of voting by voting in their place.
67-H-Taiz – Candidates of the GPC and the opposition party withdrew after they found that their symbols had been changed.
56-D&E-Taiz – 2 boxes arrived at 10 am and voters were allowed in at midday. However, it was the supervising committee which ticked the Horse (representing the GPC candidate), instead of people, resulting in the withdrawal of representatives of Islah and the opposition parties.
30-A-Taiz – Boxes were brought to male voters at 12:30, while the female committee forced women to vote for the GPC, although some foreign observers were available.
54-C-Taiz – Representatives of the candidates, except the representative of the GPC, were not allowed in.
31-A-Taiz – Voting boxes were water cartons and different kinds of bags.
36-B-Taiz – Boxes did not arrive until midday.
52-A-Taiz – Boxes were late, and voting was put off until 3:00 pm. Owing to lack of voting cards, they were changed to ordinary cards photocopied in a nearby studio.
65-F-Taiz – Boxes arrived at 4:30 pm. The candidate of the Nassirite party was listed as independent and his symbol was missing.
52-Taiz – Candidate of the GPC broke in firing and attempted to cut the power out.
61-A-Taiz – A Sheikh fired in front of the electorate and dismissed representatives of the opposition parties.
51-Taiz – Firing took place to frighten the voters. Members of the female committee voted for the GPC instead of the listed voters.
117-C-Ibb – Confrontations, accompanied by firing, took place among members of the GPC and Islah parties. Candidates of the opposition parties withdrew after members of the GPC tore the voting cards and forced people to vote in the outdoors.
92-C-Ibb – Symbols of the candidates were not printed on the cards except for the GPC’s. The director of the district of Badan forced people to vote for the GPC as a result of which the constituency was surrounded by people and the voting process was stopped.
95-B-Ibb – The director of Al-Makhader district attacked one of the candidates.
106-A-Ibb – Voting cards brought to female voters were of constituency No. 88.
93-G-Ibb – GPC member of the Parliament, Shayef Al-Dakkam, forced people to vote in front of him.
93-F-Ibb – GPC member, Shayef Al-Abdi and female members of the committee exploited the choices of the illiterate voters.
104 Ibb – Voting cards for members of the Governorate Council were not available.
96 Ibb – The voting process was halted owing to the loss of 1500 voting cards.
105 Ibb – Voting did not take place because the symbols of the candidates were changed.
92-D- Ibb All candidates, except the GPC’s, withdrew.
Al-Dhalea Candidates of the Nassirite party in Damt were dropped.
Al-Dhalea Representatives of some of the opposition candidates were attacked.
Al-Dhalea Electoral committees tried to corrupt the electorates by persuading them to vote for the GPC.
Al-Dhalea Commander of a brigade made a number of visits to constituencies to persuade people to vote for the GPC.
H Al-Dhalea Female member of the supervising committee, GPC members, voted instead of illiterate electorates.
Al-Madinah district Some independent candidates were dropped.
232-D -Al-Beidha’a – Symbol of the Nassirite candidate, Abdullah Ahmad Al-Shaddah was changed.
231-A-Al-Beidha’a – Symbol of the independent candidate, Ahmad Bajehi, was changed.
263 Al-Beidha’a – Symbol of the independent candidate, Abdul Wadoud Thabet Al-Humeidi, was changed.
169-A & 168 Hodeidah – Voting process continued until the evening.
A, B, D & G Al-Khokha – Voting process was stopped because the symbols of the candidates were changed.
167-A, 168-A & 169-A Hodeidah – Navy, Army as well as Air-force elements were brought to vote instead of the registered voters.
167-Hodeidah – Deputy Governor of Hodeidah, General Ahmad Hassan visited constituencies and forced people to vote for him. Those who tried to reject his orders from the committees were arrested.
265-A & C Hajjah – Symbols of some of the opposition candidates were changed.
273-D Al-Shahel – District, Hajjah Chairman of the main committee was arrested because he refused to obey orders to cheat the voters and was replaced by Mohammed Ahmad Abbass, a GPC member.
268 & 269 Hajjah – Voting took place at 5 pm.
256-A Hajjah – Some voters voted for more than once, and two people were sometimes allowed together into the cabin.
201-H Dhamar – Symbols of independent candidates were missing. Supervising committees directed the affected candidates to photocopy new forms at their own expense (candidates).
212-C Dhamar – A Sheikh took 2 ballot boxes home.
201-C Dhamar – Commander of the Republican Guard, General S’ad Abu Horyah, took the boxes to the camp and arrested independent candidates and representatives of Al-Baath party.
219- Dhamar – Symbols of the Islah candidates were changed into the GPC’s ‘Horse’.
206&207-Dhamar – Boxes have not been released yet.
205-Dhamar – Owing to problems among the GPC and Islah supporters, boxes were moved to a different place as suggested by Sheikh Hamoud Ziad.
204-E Dhamar – President Saleh gave orders to shift the location to constituency No. 200. Voters did not move there.
219&220-Dhamar – Women’s ballot boxes were moved to a number of houses in the village without the knowledge of the candidates’ representatives. In the same constituencies, Minister Mohammed Khadem Al-Wajeeh addressed the gathering telling them to vote for the GPC candidates if they want to get water and electricity projects.
211-Dhamar – Voting process start at 5 pm.
210-Dhamar-Voting process start at 5 pm.
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