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Sana'a, Oct. 9)President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced last week in Taiz that the State is intending to amend the law of local authority and that all the local authority leaders must be directly elected by citizens.

The President's declaration included the amendment of the elections law to ensure the expansion of public participation in the Parliament, as well as the amendment of the Shura Council law to stipulate that half of the members should be elected and others appointed.

The President said: “the local authority achieved positive results and this encourages us to give it more powers in return or reducing the central powers. Some specializations and powers of ministries will be withdrawn to the advantage of the local authorities.

Saleh pointed out that he gave orders to the government to leave some powers to the advantage of the local authority including the right of monitoring