SCER SAY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD AS SCHEDULED

Source: 
Yemen Times
Publication date: 
May 22 2013

SANA’A, May 19 – The Supreme Committee of Elections and Referendum (SCER) said as far as they are concerned parliamentary  elections will go ahead in February 2014 as stipulated by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative, the internationally brokered deal that handed power from former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to current President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.  

Representatives from the SCER said the committee has been working overtime in order to meet the deadline.  

The committee had expressed their concern earlier this year that elections would be delayed due to a lack of funding. 

The 2014 elections will be the first of their kind in Yemen, using an electronic registry. It will replace the old manual, thumbprint system. 

The United Nations and other international donors have provided $24 million dollars for new, electronic thumb scanning machines.  

Bids for companies wanting to supply the machines will be decided in late May, said Judge Khamees Al-Deeni, the deputy head of the SCER.. 

Yemen’s Finance Minister recently also approved Yemen’s financial contribution to the new voting system, about $52,000. This is allocated for the training of employees in the new voting centers.

Al-Deeni said the committee can only speak about parliamentary elections right now as presidential elections are up in the air.  

Yemen’s new constitution, which is expected to be drafted when the National Dialogue Conference comes to an end in a little over three months will determine if presidential elections are even necessary, Al-Deeni said.    

Yemen’s current president, Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi came to office in 2012 in a single candidate election held as a part of the GCC Initiative.

by: Mohammed al-Hasani

source: http://www.yementimes.com/en/1678/news/2363/SCER-say-parliamentary-elections-will-be-held-as-scheduled.htm