In the eastern governorates, Marib, al-Jawf and Shabwa…..Islah tribal candidates retreat [Archives:2003/634/Local News]

Hassan Al-Zaidi

Results of vote counting in the 27 April parliamentary elections have disclosed a relative retreat in number of votes the Islah Islamist opposition party has scored in the tribal regions of Marib, Jawf and Shabwa in comparison with previous parliamentary elections. Meanwhile the party's religious ideological wing registered a progress in the elections. Islah's retreat in the tribal regions was faced with the General People's Congress ruling party where the votes it has scored brought it very close to the Islah's position and thus posing a threat to the Islah there.
On the other hand the Islah party is strengthening its power in some other urban areas such as the capital amanat where its ideological candidates have gained a remarkable progress.
Perhaps the GPC fears the Islah's advances in those areas considering them as a mountainous region which according to some analysts represent a military wing.
Election sources said that the Islah candidates in Marib and al-Jawf have backed down, for instance in the 277 constituency in Marib, the Islah candidate, Khaled al-Aradi, against the GPC competition. Similarly, the Islah at the 278 constituency has advanced against its competitor the GPC. This has occurred when the Islah candidate has advanced the GPC by 361 votes.
In al-Jawf area the Islah candidate has lost the majority in the 275 constituency and that the 276 constituency has been still suspended despite Ameen al-Okaimi's advance against the GPC candidate.
While other governorates as that of Shabwa, the GPC has won the majority of votes against the Islah and the Socialist Party candidates.
The Islamic movement in those three eastern governorates, Marib, al-Jawf and Shabwa has been still concentrated.
The Islah party used to have the lion's share there during the 1997 elections whether in number of voters or candidates.

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