SANAA: Yemeni lawmakers yesterday overwhelmingly approved a two-year postponement of parliamentary elections to pave way for political and electoral reforms.
In an ad hoc session attended by 203 members of the 301-strong house, 200 lawmakers voted for the constitutional amendment to prolong Parliament’s tenure for another two years, thus delaying elections until April 2011. The constitutional change needs a final endorsement by Parliament within the next 60 days.
Legislative elections were originally scheduled for April 27, but the country’s main opposition parties threatened to boycott it.
Parliament’s approval of the delay comes after the ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) and opposition parties agreed on Wednesday on the move.
“The agreement took place following a suggestion from President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who wanted the spare the country a political crisis,” said Sultan Burkani, who heads the GPC’s parliamentary bloc. “The delay is necessary to proceed with political reforms, mainly the amendment of the electoral law,” Burkani said.
The agreement was hammered out on Tuesday between the GPC and the opposition Common Forum, which groups Al-Islah Party, the Yemeni Socialist Party, and other smaller factions.
But MP Ali Ghassal of Al-Islah said he feared the delay will only “postpone the crisis.” He said he hoped that all parties “would work seriously to achieve the political reforms,” which aim for a move from a presidential to a parliamentary system.
— With input from agencies
