SANA'A: Yemen government sources confirmed on Saturday that United Nations special envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, had arrived in the capital, Sana'a, to oversee the upcoming presidential elections and ensure that the democratic process goes ahead smoothly. Despite the result of the elections being already known since Yemen is organizing a one-man presidential campaign, it is the process itself that western powers and certain Yemen power-players fear will be disrupted. Several groups such as the al-Houthis, a Shia tribal militia, which seeks to impose its own rule over Yemen and al-Harak, the Southern Secessionist Movement, already announced that they would boycott Tuesday's elections; prompting fear that armed clashes could arise. John Brennan, the White House chief counter-terrorism advisor is also set to travel to Yemen, signaling just how much the United States is seeking to end the cycle of violence in Yemen and transition the country into a more stable political and economic environment. Despite having less oil and gas reserves than some of its neighbors, Yemen holds much importance geo-strategically, with several “giants” having their eyes set on the country. Iran, for example, has been reported to be infiltrating Yemen's political scene in a bid to oppose Saudi Arabia and potentially conduct a war by proxy. Although President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced last week that he would return on Saturday to Yemen, ahead of the elections as he wished to cast his vote, sources in Washington have now confirmed that the veteran politician had agreed to wait until the day after to travel back to his homeland. The ruling party promised that President Saleh would attend the festivities organized in Vice-President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi's honor on Wednesday. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/h8EVC Tags: Benomar, Democracy, Elections, UN Section: Latest News, Yemen
