Ahead of Yemen's presidential elections, campaigning begins, reports Nasser Arrabyee As the countdown to Yemen's presidential elections begins, opposition groups insist on having a new president while the incumbent head of state promises a new Yemen with a brighter future if re-elected. Faisal Bin Shamlan, 72, representing an alliance of five main opposition groups including the Islamic and socialist parties, is vying with the ruling party's candidate, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for 28 years. The campaign slogan of Bin Shamlan is "A president for Yemen, not Yemen for the president," while that of Saleh is "A new Yemen, a better future". In addition to the big two, three additional candidates, including two independents, are running for the country's top post. Heated campaigning kicked off last Wednesday and will continue until 19 September, one day before Yemen goes to the polls. Explaining what his slogan means, Bin Shamlan, in exclusive interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, said: "All powers of the state now are concentrated in the hands of the president; the whole country is for the president. We want a president for Yemen; we want to distribute powers, which means separation of powers." Bin Shamlan, an independent, hopes to be the next president of Yemen and has no doubt that all members and supporters of the five parties he represents -- the Yemen Congregation for Reform (the largest Islamic party, Islah), the Yemeni Socialist Party, the Unionist Nasserite Party, the Federation of Popular Forces Party (Islamic) and Al-Haq Party (Islamic) -- will vote for him despite historic ideological and political differences among these parties. "Yes, that goes without saying. There is no reason to suspect. All supporters and members of each party will adhere to their party's alliance and vote for their candidate," he said. "My programme is a summary of the five-party unified programme for political reform. Otherwise the parties will not support a candidate if he is not in an agreement with their programme," Shamlan said in a reference to a reform agenda agreed upon last year. Responding to why the five parties did not choose a candidate from among their leaders, Bin Shamlan said, "Because the reform programme is not a certain party's project, but is a concerted effort to save the country from a disastrous future. The country is in a very dangerous situation. This is a national programme, so anyone can advocate it." Shamlan does not foresee difficulties in dealing with the ruling party, which has the overwhelming majority in parliament, if he wins the presidency from Saleh. "I don't see any problem. We will go with the procedures provided for by the constitution. The whole government resigns. The president will name a new prime minister and submit it to parliament. If that is rejected, we'll try again. Thereafter, if blocked, parliament would be dissolved, and new elections would be held," he said. The majority in parliament, Shamlan went on to say, do not want change, but neither can be resisted. "We have great faith in the understanding and cooperation of the parliament's members towards their responsibilities, towards their people and their country," he said. "It is true that the constitution does not stipulate how power is transferred (in the event that a candidate other than Saleh wins). This is one of the main loopholes in the constitution. But we expect that everybody in the government will work in accordance with law, the constitution and national interests," Shamlan said. Meanwhile, Shamlan denies any American or European assurances now or in the future. "This is something that I don't look for. I only rely on the support of the Yemeni voters. But I'd have no difficulty in dialoguing with the US and EU, and I look forward to having good relations with everybody," he said. With regard to foreign policy, Bin Shamlan believes that it should always reflect internal policies. "We can't have strong foreign policies and weak internal policies," he said. Responding to whether official media is neutral, he said, "Certainly not. The official media is monopolised by the government's candidate." Shamlan accused the ruling party of putting obstacles in front of other candidates by way of the Yemen's highest elections committee. "But we are determined; determined, because we see that this election is very important for the country and the region as well," he said. Yemen's elections law requires every presidential candidate to hold one rally at least in the capital of every province throughout the country of 21 provinces. The costs of doing so are prohibitive to many. "Yes, it costs too much, but we'll pay according to our resources. 'Stretch your leg as long as your carpet allows'," Shamlan said. On the issue of gender, Shamlan blames the ruling party's parliamentary majority for disallowing a woman from standing for the presidency. Last month, MPs voted for none of the three women who applied for approval from parliament to run in head of state elections. All prospective candidates need at least five per cent of MPs to approve. "The opposition parties did not have enough votes to nominate more than two candidates, yet the ruling party could have easily voted for a woman but they did not do this," he said.
