JMP demand reshuffling of SCER [Archives:2006/916/Front Page]
Mohammed Bin Sallam
SANA'A, Jan. 29 ) In a statement published last week, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) called for the reshuffling of the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER) to ensure integrity of upcoming presidential and local elections. The statement contained rejection of any mechanism introduced by the SCER to form committees for revising and modifying voters' registers announced last Wednesday.
JMP said in another statement published on Saturday such mechanism is a violation of the legal standards and intends to confine the balance and neutrality principle in the poll committees and edge out any role of the opposition.
The opposition, represented by the IMP, held the SCER accountable for delaying the deadline of electoral privileges due to being partial to interests of the ruling party. Confirming their adherence to running independent and neutral poll, the JMP said the SCER is neither eligible not qualified for running the polls, demanding it to be restructured.
JMP opposed the SCER's announcement to form minor committees to run the process of the electoral registers' revision and modification, which is allegedly a violation of the law and the constitution. Opposition parties have ended their talks on the issue.
The opposition said: “as the JMP announce their rejection of the proposed mechanism, we hold the SCER accountable for any delay of the electoral privileges' deadline. The SCER passed decisions violating the law and involving partiality in favor of the ruling party, starting with reducing the number of poll committees.”
“The SCER confirms renewal of its mechanism for the formation of the electoral committees with the aim of edging any role of the opposition. The SCER never shows readiness to be neutral and independent when it adopted a mechanism to eliminate any presence of the opposition, nor does take into account the importance of the presidential and local elections and their influence on the country's future,” the opposition added.
JMP concluded their statement by renewing its rejection of the electoral committees' formation mechanism. They emphasized what was contained in their comprehensive political reform program and their care for independent and neutral elections.
JMP hold the view the SCER with its current structure is neither eligible nor qualified for running the upcoming presidential and local elections. The claim it should be reshuffled in a politically balanced manner to prevent it from being partial. To ensure free and fair elections, the electoral committees must involve all the political forces in the country.
Spokesman for the SCER and Head of its Information Sector, Abdu Mohamed Al-Janadi, said: “JMP are only staging political controversy aimed at distracting the SCER from performing its tasks in compliance with the law.”
In a statement to State-run Al-Thawrah daily, Al-Janadi pointed out political parties and organizations have the right to do what they want, but the SCER has taken its decision after a series of talks based on a criterion proposed by the JMP. Under this criterion, he added, registration and poll committees were distributed in 2001 and 2003.
Al-Janadi noted the SCER has only two criteria, one based on voting and the other on the number of seats in Parliament. It is the parties which preferred the former over the latter, and not the SCER as the alternative will be worse if applied. The SCER has no option but to apply only one of the mentioned criteria.
Concluding his statement, Al-Janadi expressed curiosity at the JMP's statement saying these parties do not know that the SCER is a constitutional authority formed of 15 personages who won two-thirds of Parliament' votes. “It is an independent and neutral authority formed in compliance with the constitution and the law,” he ended.
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