Al-Sahwa [Archives:2006/926/Press Review]

2 Mar. 2006
Main headlines

– Islah Party calls for peaceful struggle and expansion of the woman role

– Spokesman for JMP calls fro punishing the Elections Supreme Commission

– To see volume of damage, a delegation from the parliament in Saada

– The president reiterates his non-nomination for the presidential elections

– A criminal rapes an eight-year child Yemeni aviation engineers begin putting on red badges in preparation for strike

Columnist Zaid al-Shami writes saying the constitution says the election commission is independent and impartial undertakes administration and supervision on elections. Is the commission independent and neutral? This is the point of dispute and core of the problem. This entails formation of the committees and proportions of parties in them. There are the election violations, non-neutrality of the official media instruments, the authority exploitation, inability of the supreme commission to force the ruling party commit to the constitution and the law. The complaint has always been of the partiality of the commission that is composed of seven members, five of whom are from the ruling party. Therefore it is normal for the ruling party to defend the commission.

The difference of the opposition parties with the commission is not something new and the commission's bias is not the product of today. The commission always accuses parties of the JMP and shows high transparency towards the General People's Congress.

For instance the local council in Marib is still not assuming its authorities because the Islah is the winner there. It is something contradictory with policy of the ruling party which sees it is not allowable for the opposition to assume the post of deputy governor and to that the elections supreme commission did not respond and then it wants to convince the people that it is impartial and independent. The writer maintains to say official media continue to publish propaganda for the ruling arty until one hour before the beginning of voting and on the other hand publish things deforming programs of the opposition parties, to which the commission for elections could do nothing against that. Above all, security committees direct both lower and higher election committees in a clear violation of the constitution and the law.
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