EU Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner on elections in Yemen

Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, has said after the Presidential and local elections that took place in the Republic of Yemen on 20 September 2006:

"These elections have been an important and challenging step for Yemeni democracy and Yemeni society. They are a significant and positive development in the country's democratic reform process.

I am happy that EU observers have accompanied the Yemenis in this process. Our observers have concluded that the elections have been an open and genuine contest and that, despite some incidents of violence, the voting was peaceful and conducted in a correct manner.

However, there are still some shortcomings that we believe need to be addressed seriously and urgently. These include the use of state resources by the ruling party during the election campaign and the perception of partisanship within the decision-making of the election administration.

More widely, it is crucial that Yemen addresses the issue of the secondary status given to women and that of the low levels of literacy that exclude so many people in this country from the political process.

We encourage the Yemeni government to demonstrate its determination to provide for more democracy to its people by moving forward in this direction."

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