U.N. contributes $5 million to Yemeni elections [Archives:2006/972/Front Page]
SANA'a, Aug. 12 ) In a Saturday press statement while attending a Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) symposium, John Landry, Chief Technical Advisor for the Electoral Support Project, asserted that the United Nation's role lies in supporting Yemen's upcoming elections via two different methods.
The first is re-establishing peace and the process to protect it, which is applied in the case of countries that have come out of wars, like East Timor. The second type of U.N. support is in the form of supporting democratic experiments, as is the case with Yemen.
Landry affirmed that Yemen requested the U.N. provide technical assistance to hold and implement the upcoming elections. “We've been offering help since 2002 and this support is related to the elections process,” he said. Such support has been offered to the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER) as the U.N. office in Sana'a works with the SCER continuously and closely in determining the type of things the SCER desires from the U.N. office in conducting the elections.
Among the results of the U.N. office in Yemen is providing a $5 million contribution to support the Yemeni electoral process. The fields wherein the assistance is to be expended include training and nominating women, so a special section has been established within the SCER for this purpose. The support also includes offering information technology in this regard. Landry noted that this is a very short explanation of what the U.N. office in Yemen is offering to support the electoral process to guarantee it'll be free and honorable.
He stressed that the U.N. office can't confirm that the elections will be free and decent because “We haven't the power in this respect. Holding free and upright elections comes from Yemen's desire to work for such. The U.N. office can offer advice and suggestions to the SCER for ensuring the upcoming elections are characterized by transparency and justice, but we as an international organization can't force Yemen to have free and decent elections.
“Free and decent elections must have the political and social will of Yemenis themselves. In this regard, civil society organizations must be active and work with every possible effort in the process of enlightening voters because it's important to hold free and upright elections. Also, journalists covering the election process must play a constructive role, not a destructive one,” he added.
Additionally, Landry said political parties must teach their electoral committee members to behave in a neutral, open and transparent manner. He emphasized that Yemen has achieved much in the field of developing the democratic process but there remains more to do, stressing that “there is no 100 percent complete electoral systems in any country.”
“Every democratic country continually works to develop and improve the democratic process. Yemen isn't the only country that is effecting changes in the election process for the purpose of improving it, as this is something normal in the democratic process,” he noted.
Landry expressed his wish that Yemen's upcoming elections would be successful, describing them as among the most difficult and complicated. Here the voters are requested to fill three electoral cards; therefore, it's the responsibility of all to work to enlighten the importance that the elections must be free and just.”
He also wished that all would conduct their duties in a transparent manner to better assist Yemen to hold free elections, as it'll be an experience from which Yemen will learn, and hoped that the nation will benefit from these elections.
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