Elections in Yemen

Yemen elects on national level a head of state (the president) and a legislature. The president is elected for a seven-year term by the people. The Assembly of Representatives of Yemen (Majlis al-Nuwaab) has 301 members, elected for a six-year term in single-seat constituencies.

Yemen is usually considered a dominant-party state with the General People's Congress in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.

Yemen has universal suffrage for those age 18 and older. The constitution provides that the president be elected by popular vote from at least two candidates endorsed by parliament.

In 1999 the first nationwide direct presidential election was held, giving Ali Abdallah Salih, the leader of the General People’s Congress (GPC), a five-year term, which was extended to seven years in 2001. President Salih was reelected in September 2006 with 77 percent of the popular vote. The electorate also elects the parliament every six years, most recently in April 2003. The next parliamentary elections are to be held in 2011. Although the various 2006 elections (presidential and local) were deemed by international observers to be generally open and competitive, there were reports of irregularities, such as underage and duplicate voting and the use of state funds to support GPC candidates.

Latest elections

2006 Presidential election

Main article: Yemeni presidential election, 2006

 Summary of the 20 September 2006 Yemeni presidential election result

Candidates - Nominating parties	Votes	%
Ali Abdullah Saleh - General People's Congress	4,149,673	77.17
Faisal Bin Shamlan - Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) opposition coalition	1,173,075	21.82
Others	54,490	1.01
Total valid votes (turnout 65.2%)	5,377,238	100.00
Invalid votes	648,580
Total votes cast	6,025,818
Registered voters	9,248,456
Source: Yemen Times

2003 Parliamentary election

Main article: Yemeni parliamentary election, 2003

 Summary of the 27 April 2003 Yemen Assembly of Representatives election results

Parties		Votes	%	Seats
	General People's Congress (al-Mu'tammar al-Sha'bi al-'Am)	3,429,888	58.0	238
	Yemeni Congregation for Reform (al-Tajmu al-Yamani li al-Islah)	1,333,394	22.6	46
	Yemen Socialist Party (Hizb al-Ishtirakiya al-Yamaniya)	277,223	3.8	8
	Nasserite Unionist People's Organisation (al-Tantheem al-Wahdawi al-Sha'bi al-Nasseri)	109,480	1.9	3
	Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (Hizb al Baath al'Arabi al Ishtiraki)	40,377	0.7	2
	National Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (Hizb Al-Ba'ath Al-Arabi Al-Ishtiraki Al-Qawmi)	23,745	0.4	0
	Nasserite Popular Correctional Movement (al-Tashih al-Shabi al-Nasiri)	15,257	0.25	0
	Yemeni Union of Popular Forces (Ittihad al-Qiwa al-Shabiyya)	11,967	0.2	0
	Democratic Nasserite Party (al-Hizb al-Dimuqrati al-Nasiri)	9,829	0.16	0
	Democratic National Front (al-Jabha al-Wataniya al-Dimuqratiyya)	7,056	0.12	0
	Social Nationalist Party (Hizb al-Qawmi al-Ijtimai)	5,349	0.09	0
	al-Haqq Party (Hizb al-Haqq)	4,585	0.08	0
	People's Democratic Party (Hizb al-Shab al-Dimuqrati)	4,077	0.07	0
	Democratic Union of Popular Forces (al-Ittihad al-Dimuqrati)	3,003	0.05	0
	Social Green Party (Hizb al-Khudr al-Ijtimai)	2,276	0.04	0
	Popular Unity Party (Hizb al-Wahda al-Shabiyya)	1,739	0.03	0
	Yemeni League Party (Al Rabita al-Yamaniyya al-Shariyya)	1,383	0.02	0
	Liberation Front Party (Hizb Jabhat al-Tahrir)	1,282	0.02	0
	Popular Unionist Liberation Party (Hizb al-Tahrir al-Shabi al-Wahdawi)	1,241	0.02	0
	Yemeni Unionist Gathering (al-Tajammu al-Wahdawi al-Yamani)	483	0.01	0
	Democratic September Organization (al-Tanzim al-Sebtembri)	81	0.001	0
Non-partisans		-	.	4
Total (turnout 76.0%)		5,912,302	100.0	301
Source: electionguide.org. A number of candidates elected as non-partisans joined MSA or Islah. Other sources give a different division of seats. Also list of results and parties here and here.

See also

• Electoral calendar
• Electoral system

External links

• Adam Carr's Election Archive
• IDEA Publication on Yemen