Opposition Parties object to reduction of voters’ register committees [Archives:2005/897/Front Page]

SANA'A)An official source in the leadership of the Joint Opposition Meeting Parties (JOMP) confirmed the adherence of the opposition parties to the legal standards concerning the formation of committees for reviewing and modifying voters' registers, which are expected to start operations by the advent of January next year.

However, The High Commission for Elections and Referendum (HCER) decided to reduce the number of these committees from 5620 to 2400. It announced that it has given opposition parties one week to revise their plans and submit a new list for selected members of the committees as per the revised and reduced numbers. It also threatened to select members of the committees without notifying the opposition parties should they fail to submit the new list of names of their nominees within the assigned time period.

Politicians hold the view that such a stance of the HCER leads to crisis with the opposition parties which had originally formulated 5620 field committees as per the law. Therefore, the HCER declaration has shocked the opposition parties that are planning to take a unanimous decision and confront it.

On another front, The HCER acknowledged the existence of 400 thousand minors who have been enlisted on the election registers. However, it has not undertaken any rectifying measures to delete minors from the list despite claims by the opposition parties to modify the elections register as early as possible.

The HCER declared last Saturday it formulated a mechanism for the participation of political parties and organizations in the committees responsible for the revision and modification of voters' registers, set the number of committees at 2400 and established a general woman unit at the HCER for increasing women's awareness on how to practice their legal and constitutional rights as voters and candidates.

For his part, Abdu Mohamed al-Janadi, Head of the Information Sector at the HCER said in a statement to the state-run al-Thawra daily: “what is claimed by the opposition parties is unreasonable and it stems from prohibitive measures he HCER allowed the opposition parties to clarify their viewpoints that reached to the public skepticism on the neutralism and independence of the HCER, and therefore, they withdrew without any justification,” al-Janadi said.

“Despite what has happened, the HCER is keen to invite all the Join Opposition Meeting Parties to discuss some of the prohibitive measures that are the consequence of the large number of committees and to reach a joint viewpoint on this matter.” He added.
——
[archive-e:897-v:14-y:2005-d:2005-11-24-p:front]