SCER adopts 2006 elections mechanism [Archives:2006/953/Front Page]
By: Yasser Al-Mayasi
SANA'A, June 6 ) At its Monday meeting chaired by SCER chairman Khalid Abdulwahab Ash-Sharif, the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER) approved forming supervisory, original and branch committees to run September's presidential and local elections. The commission decided to adopt the same mechanism and proportions allocated to political parties and organizations in the 2003 elections, considering such a mechanism more just and legal.
The SCER affirmed that the decision arose from its keenness for all political parties and organizations to participate in committees managing the upcoming presidential and local elections.
According to the mechanism, the proportion of political parties and organizations participating in election committees is 44 percent for the General People's Congress, 40 percent for the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), eight percent for National Council for Opposition parties and eight percent for the SCER.
The commission entrusted the head of the technical affairs and planning sector with informing political parties and organizations about the proportions and positions of their participation in electoral committees according to the mechanism. The SCER also discussed at its meeting all things relating to nomination stage, voting and vote counting.
Sources said President Ali Abdullah Saleh called on the JMP to sit and dialogue about the elections in coming days in a manner preparing ways for the success of such constitutional and democratic due process and holding it in a free, safe and transparent climate with the participation of all, without any exception, thereby embodying the principle of peaceful transfer of power.
According to September Net web site, this step would be followed by an invitation to all legally licensed political parties and organizations registered with the parties and organizations committee for a dialogue meeting. Such dialogue aims to search for common factors pursuant to national interests, as it is considered that the country's interests dictate dialogue and understanding among all and moving away from predetermined stances and visions.
SCER information head Abdeh Al-Jundi affirmed that the measure's aim arose from the commission's keenness on the participation of all political forces in Yemen, adding, “We call on the parties to participate strongly. This distribution was the method used in 2003 elections and proposed then by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hussein Al-Ahmar.”
He noted that graduates summoned from the civil service to run the election process are very few and can't manage the electoral process. “For instance, in some governorates, no one among them applied to the civil service. Most civil service applicants are women, who declined to participate in the committees; therefore, we thought the best measure was to adopt the mechanism used in managing the 2003 elections,” he explained.
Regarding whether there was coordination with other parties, Al-Jundi affirmed that most parties would respond to this proposal. He said he thought that was just for all parties, believing it the only suggestion doing justice to all parties and creating balance in the election process. He revealed that the SCER had other proportions, but the parties refused them.
Al-Jundi also stressed that the technical committee will distribute the committees among the parties. “They have the right to participate or refuse. If they refuse, we'll resort to our own choices to run the election process.”
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