First Impresssions of Yemen’s Presidential Electoral Season
As of this writing, the winner has not been announced in Yemen’s presidential election. The trained observers have not made any determinations about the legitimacy of the process. But even at this early stage, there are many positive things that can be said about Yemen’s second direct presidential elections.
The first is that the campaigns were competitive. Despite a disparity of resources, the opposition candidate Faisel bin Shamlan was able to present his platform to a national audience in a reasonably unencumbered way. Many good things sprung from this openness toward opposition political speech.
Citizens were invigorated by the political debate, and the nation achieved an enhanced level of political dialog and participation. The country was united by one giant discussion. Voters gained greater understanding of those with differing ideas and of the many nuances of the political process as a whole. Free political speech, however rancorous it became at times, brought greater stability not less. Tensions were defused in a productive and non-violent way as they became verbalized.
The high rate of voter turnout indicates an embrace and reaffirmation of the underlying concepts of democratic processes. Coupled with the low rate of violence, however regrettable the violence was, these two developments indicate a level of political maturity that some observers may not have expected from an impoverished, heavily armed and severely under-developed nation with strong tribal roots. Voters displayed patience and tolerance despite long lines and a hot sun.
With just 15 years experience and in only the second direct presidential election, the electoral machine – from the observers, to the committees, to the registrations themselves – evolved substantially. The “principles agreement” between the ruling party and the opposition coalition laid out a benchmark of acceptable behavior and processes. Although there was clearly some significant and detrimental deviation from the principles agreement, the significance of the agreement itself should not be overlooked. The fundamental principle of multi-party politics is the protection of and respect for the opposition. The agreement in theory to a level playing field is one that will continue to set the standard for future elections.
From these good things, more good things may follow. The Local Councils can become an expression of popular will, but only if they are held to account by their constituents. The political parties may face members who demand a higher level of internally democratic practices, and thus the parties may become a more effective method of popular empowerment.
The key to elections is listening. The voters listen to each other and the candidates before the election; the winners listen to the people after. With the positive outcomes of open political dialog so readily apparent in Yemen, the government may finally see fit to loosen its monopoly on the airwaves, spurning higher levels of political dialog and thus greater stability and a future generation of leaders.
If the market place of ideas that was established for the elections can remain in place, and the national political dialog maintained with a tolerance for all viewpoints, Yemen’s political development may take off at lightening speed. All those who had a hand in empowering its people thus far have something to be proud of, especially Yemen’s nine million voters.
-jane
