Electoral Procedures
There are 301 Parliamentary constituencies in Yemen, equally distributed among Sana’a Secretariat
(Capital) and twenty governorates based on the population of each with a margin of plus or minus five
percent. The Yemeni Constitution authorizes the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum
(SCER) to administer all phases of the elections operation process. This includes the registration of
citizens 18 years and above, receiving applications for candidates, regulating elections campaigns, to
balloting and counting votes and announcing the results of elections. The latest administrative division
of the Republic of Yemen took place in 2004 during which Raimah Governorate was introduced. Prior to
this, in 1998 Al-Dhala and Amran Governorates were introduced.
The Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER):
SCER was formed on 18 August 1992 and initially consisted of 17 members presided over by Honorable
Abdulkareem Al-Arashi (former Vice President). Thereafter, SCER was composed of seven members
selected by the President of the Republic from a fifteen-candidate list recommended by the House of
Representatives. Two additional members were added to the seven-member board of SCER prior to the
Presidential and Local Councils elections in 2006. The formation of the board of SCER takes place every
six years.
The commissions which work under the supervision of SCER are:
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Supervisory Commissions: there is one supervisory commission for each governorate composed
of three members (chairman and two members). Its main mission is to supervise the work of
main commissions and balloting centers in the governorate each represents.
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Main Commission: there is one main commission in each parliamentary constituency. Each is
comprised of three members (chairman and two members). Its main missions include handing
out elections materials and documents to ballot centers and supervising the work and activities
of ballot centers. The main commission is also responsible for collecting the results of each
ballot center in the parliamentary constituency it represents.
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Sub-Commisssions (balloting commissions): there are a number of sub-commissions in every
parliamentary constituency. The number of sub-comminssions is determined based on the
number of registered voters in the constituency. Generally, there are 5624 ballot centers
distributed over the 301 parliamentary constituencies. There are 3-4 ballot committees (female
balloting committee and male balloting committee depending of the number of registered
voters of both genders). Each sub-committee is responsible for the balloting process of 300-400
registered voters.
The Registration Process:
There is a voters log for every parliamentary constituency that is prepared by the Main Committee and
several Sub-Committees. Each voters log contains the name and information of every citizen in the
parliamentary constituency who is eligible to register to vote as of the first of January of every year.
Every citizen of at least eighteen years of age who bears the required constitutional conditions has the
rights to vote.
The voters log is updated or reviewed during a thirty-day process once every two years and at least once
four months prior to the date of calling registered voters to an election or referendum. During this
process, eligible citizens or registered voters who were accidently omitted are added to the log, the
deceased persons are deleted from the log along with registered voters who become ineligible to vote.
Voters who have changed their domiciles are deleted from the voters log where they were first
registered and added in the voters log of the parliamentary constituency of their new domiciles.
There are two conditions to be eligible to vote:
a) To be a Yemeni citizen, excluding citizens obtaining the Yemeni citizenship but who have not
fulfilled the time period stipulated in the full citizenship law,
b) To be eighteen years of age
Voting Domicile: the voting domicile can be the place of residence, place of work or the place of family
residence, even if the voter does not reside there. Any registered voter can change his/her domicile
from one to another through informing in writing the chairperson of the election committee in the new
place.
Candidacy Process:
Every registered voter has the right to vote, to nominate, and to express opinion in referendum. Any
registered voter can run as a candidate in the parliamentary constituency of his or her domicile. The
candidate to the Parliamentary elections must meet the following conditions:
a) To be Yemeni
b) To be at least 25 years of age
c) To be able to read and write
d) To be of a good character and practicing and fulfilling religious obligations. The person must not
have had a judicial verdict previously issued against him/her in any case pertaining to honesty
and honor unless he/she has been deemed innocent.
The candidacy application must be submitted in writing on the prepared form to the Main Commission
during working hours of the ten-day candidacy period which commences on the second day of the
period for announcing one’s candidacy.
Each voter has the right to look into the candidates’ constituency list which is also posted in public
places in the parliamentary constituency on the day following the closing date of the candidacy
registration period.
Electoral Campaign:
SCER organizes the use of official state media (TV, Radio, Newspapers) for all candidates equally in order
for the candidates to present their elections platforms. Spending public funds and utilizing Ministries’
budgets on elections campaigns are prohibited.
SCER determines the elections campaign period as well as the places permitted for posting campaign
materials according to submissions of candidacy applications.
No candidate is allowed or permitted to use the advertisement boards for purposes other than to
present their electoral platforms.
Balloting Process:
The balloting of votes takes place throughout the Republic of Yemen during one day. The balloting
process begins at eight o’clock in the morning and ends at six o’clock in the evening. The ballot boxes
are opened before votes are cast to confirm they are empty. The boxes are sealed after the end of
voting. The candidates or their representatives present can be present throughout this period. The
number of ballot papers a balloting committee has received is registered in a minutes signed by the
balloting committee.
Valid identification cards are the elections ID card, personal identification card issued by the state,
military ID card, and passports.
The balloting of cards is conducted secretly where a voter marks on the symbol of the candidate printed
on the ballot paper inside a closed cabin available inside every balloting committee. Each candidate is
given a symbol prior to ballot day based on an agreement between the candidate and SCER.
Counting Process:
After the balloting process ends in every balloting committee, the ballot box is sealed with red wax and
signed by the candidates or their representatives present at the time. After that, all boxes in the ballot
center are gathered inside the first ballot committee of the ballot center where the counting of ballot
papers will take place in the presence of the candidates or their representatives and local and
international observers.
Each box is counted separately where the number of registered voters who casted their votes, the
number of votes each candidate has received, as well as the number of invalid papers are recorded in
committee minutes. The results of all boxes in the ballot center are then recorded in one final minutes.
Counting Committee: the counting committee consists of the chairperson with the membership of the
two other members of the main commission as well as the chairpersons of subcommittees and their
members in the parliamentary constituency.
Declaring the winner: the chairperson of the counting committee announces the winner of the elections
in the balloting center before the candidates or their representatives and the local and international
observers from the final minutes of the results of all ballot boxes in the ballot center.
Contesting the results of balloting and counting:
Anyone who would like to contest the results of the balloting and counting of votes can do so in writing
to be submitted to the supreme committee according to the following conditions:
a) Contests must be submitted within 72 hours of the announcement of results in the constituency
b) The contest claim must be justified and specify which balloting and counting procedures were
allegedly violated
c) Must include a deposit of 50 thousand Rials with the contest claim