Elections in
Yemen
take place within the framework of a
presidential system
, with both the
President
and
House of Representatives
elected by the public. Due to political instability, elections have not been held regularly since the early 2000s.
Electoral history
[
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]
North Yemen
[
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]
Following the
North Yemen Civil War
and the establishment of the
Yemen Arab Republic
, a new constitution came into force in 1970 and the first
parliamentary elections
were held in 1971.
[1]
However, as political parties were banned, all candidates ran as independents. Political instability meant that the
next elections
did not take place until 1988. The 1988 elections were also held on a non-party basis, although around 30 candidates sympathetic to the
Muslim Brotherhood
were elected.
[2]
South Yemen
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During the British colonial era, elections were held for a Legislative Council in the
Colony of Aden
. The first took place in
1955
, although only four of the 18 seats were suffrage was restricted.
[3]
The
next elections
in 1959 saw 12 of the 23 seats elected, although continued restrictions on suffrage led to only 21,500 people being registered to vote from a population of 180,000.
[3]
The final elections of the British era were held in
1964
, having been postponed from 1962.
After independence and the establishment of the
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
in 1967, the
first parliamentary elections
took place in 1978, by which time the country was a
one-party state
. The
Yemeni Socialist Party
(YSP) won all 111 seats. The
next elections
were scheduled for 1983, but postponed until 1986. The YSP remained the sole legal party, but
independents
were allowed to run, winning 40 of the 111 seats.
Unified Yemen
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Following
unification
in 1990, a 301-seat House of Representatives was established.
Parliamentary elections
were held in 1993, which saw the
General People's Congress
(GPC) based in the north win 123 of the 301 seats, whilst
al-Islah
won 62 and the YSP 56. The YSP subsequently boycotted the
1997 parliamentary elections
, in which the GPC won a majority of seats.
The
first direct presidential elections
were held in 1999. Candidates could only advance to the public vote if they received over 30 votes in the House of Representatives. With only the GPC and al-Islah holding enough seats to nominate a candidate, and al-Islah backing incumbent President
Ali Abdullah Saleh
, the only other candidate to receive enough votes was the GPC's
Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi
. Saleh subsequently won the public ballot with 96.2% of the vote. The
next parliamentary elections
in 2003 saw the YSP return to electoral contests. However, they won only eight seats as the GPC increased their parliamentary majority, winning 226 of the 301 seats.
The
2006 presidential elections
saw Saleh re-elected with 77% of the vote, defeating
Faisal Bin Shamlan
, the candidate of the Joint Meeting Parties, an alliance of the five main opposition parties. The
parliamentary elections
scheduled for 2009 were repeatedly postponed. However, following the
Yemeni revolution
, Saleh stood down and
presidential elections
were held in 2012. Saleh's Vice President
Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi
was the only candidate to run, and was elected unopposed.
Electoral system
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The president is elected for a seven-year term in a two-stage process, with the House of Representatives required to endorse at least two candidates, who are then put to a public vote.
[4]
The 301 members of the House of Representatives are elected for a six-year term in single-member constituencies using the
first-past-the-post system
.
[5]
The voting age is 18, whilst candidates for the House of Representatives must be at least 25.
[5]
Referendums
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Following unification in 1990, a
referendum
was held on a new constitution in 1991, which was approved by 98.5% of voters. Another
constitutional referendum
in 2001 saw 77% of voters approve changes to the constitution.
References
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External links
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