Yemen opposition threatens to take to streets, ruling party determined to go to elections even without them

By Nasser Arrabyee/13/12/2010
The Yemen opposition parties threatened to take to the streets if the ruling party goes to elections alone next April.

The coalition of the parties called for “action of anger” that never stops until the ruling party recanted its unilateral steps.

This comes after the majority of the ruling voted earlier this week on amendments of the current elections law to form an election commission of judges rather than of representatives from all parties in the parliament .

"The vote is violation of the constitution and laws not to mention the fact that it is an overthrow on the February 2009 agreement."

The opposition and ruling party agreed on February 2009 to delay the elections for two years until April 2011 foe making political reforms during that period. No reforms at all have been done so far while the two years are almost over.

The ruling party says elections must take place on time otherwise the country will be in constitution vacuum. The opposition parties which includes Islamists Socialists and Nasserites say the ruling party wants elections that keep it in power.

" We call for an action of anger that never quietens down until we restore the rights to change, social justice and equal citizenship," said the coalition of the opposition parties in a statement read in a press conference held Monday by top leaders of the parties.

The Secretary general of the Socialist party, Yasin Saeed Noman, said unilateral step towards election is a game played by the extremists of the ruling party.

Mohamade Basundaw, chairman of the opposition national dialogue committee, said going to election without the opposition will only drag the country to a swamp of new crisis.
The ruling party official seem to be determined to go to elections without the coalition of the opposition parties which included the largest three opposition parties.

Earlier, the assistant secretary general of the ruling party, Sultan Al Barakani, played down the call for taking to streets by saying “If they have people to take to streets, they would have taken to streets after the 2006 presidential elections,” when their candidate who competed with the ruling party candidate, won only 20 % of the votes .

Yasser Al Awadhi, who is also a high profile member of the ruling party, said his party is determined to go to elections, but he also said that the door will keep open for the opposition.