Yemeni presidential election, 1999
Encyclopedia
Direct Presidential elections were held in Yemen
for the first time on 23 September 1999. Candidates had to be approved by at least 10% of MPs; however, in practice this meant that only two parties, the ruling General People's Congress and the Yemeni Congregation for Reform had enough seats to nominate their candidates. In the end, the Yemeni Congregation for Reform backed the GPC's candidate, incumbent President Ali Abdullah Saleh
rather than running a candidate of their own.
The following were disqualified (reason):
The parliamentary vetting committee eliminated another four candidates, putting 24 of the 31 nominations to a parliamentary vote, in which a candidate required 31 votes to be able to run in the election. Another candidate, Khalid al-Zarraka, did not appear on the publicised list of nominations, but was included in the parliamentary vote. In the vote itself, 21 of the 25 (including al-Zarraka) did not receive any support.
Thus only two candidates managed to obtain approval from MPs; President Saleh and Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi
, a member of Saleh's party running as an independent.
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
for the first time on 23 September 1999. Candidates had to be approved by at least 10% of MPs; however, in practice this meant that only two parties, the ruling General People's Congress and the Yemeni Congregation for Reform had enough seats to nominate their candidates. In the end, the Yemeni Congregation for Reform backed the GPC's candidate, incumbent President Ali Abdullah Saleh
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Field Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh is the first President of the Republic of Yemen. Saleh previously served as President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1978 until 1990, at which time he assumed the office of chairman of the Presidential Council of a post-unification Yemen. He is the...
rather than running a candidate of their own.
Nominations
Nominations for presidential candidates closed on 13 July 1999. In total, 31 candidates put their names forward, though three of them were disqualified immediately for failing to meet the legal requirements. The full list is as follows:- Ali Abdullah SalehAli Abdullah SalehField Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh is the first President of the Republic of Yemen. Saleh previously served as President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1978 until 1990, at which time he assumed the office of chairman of the Presidential Council of a post-unification Yemen. He is the...
(General People's Congress, Islah, National Opposition Council) - Ali Salih 'Ubad Muqbil (parties of the Supreme Co-ordination Council for the Opposition)
- Abd al-Quwi Ahmad Hamoud Shuwi'a (People's Democratic Party)
- Al-Habbani Muhammad abd al-Malik Nu'man al-'Abassi (Yemeni Popular Unity Party)
- Ali bin Ali Sabihi
- Muhammad Muhammad Hizam al-Yamani
- Amin Ahmad Thabit
- Abd al-Wahhab Muhammad Hassan al-Karidi
- Abdullah Salih Salih al-Bakhiti
- Muhammad Ahmad Sa'ad al-Dhufari
- Faisal Ali Ahmad Ghaaithan al-Tawil
- Salih Hassan Abdullah al-'Azani
- Abd al-Malik Yahya Ahmad Hanash
- Ahmad Ali Hussein Yahya al-'Amri
- Muhammad A'id Qa'id al-'Uthmali
- Ali Salih al-Houri
- Muhammad Ali Muhsin al-Sirri
- Salih Ahmad bin Ahmad Jubah
- Muhammad Hussein al-Jamuzi
- Ali Abdullah Salih Muhsin Suroub
- Abd al-Wahhab Qanaf Sha'if
- Mustafa Youssef Khalil
- Iskandar Ali al-Nathari
- Mustafa Ali Naji 'Aiyash
- Ahmad Muslih al-Barti
- Ma'adh Abdullah al-Shahani
- Ahmad Abduh al-Ramim
- Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abiNajeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abiNajeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi is a Yemeni politician who was a candidate in the 1999 presidential election in Yemen. He ran as an Independent, despite being a member of the General People's Congress, against President Ali Abdullah Saleh...
- (MP for the General People's CongressGeneral People's CongressThe General People's Congress is the ruling political party in Yemen.Was founded in August 24, 1982 in Sana'a, YemenAt the last legislative elections, 27 April 2003, the party won 58.0% of the popular vote and 238 out of 301 seats in the Assembly of Representatives of Yemen....
, running as an Independent)
The following were disqualified (reason):
- Amin Ahmad bin Ahmad Thabit (candidates must not be married to a foreigner and he had a RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n wife) - Abdullah Salih Salih Muhsin Surub (minimum age is 40, he was 38)
- A candidate with a name too similar to President Saleh
The parliamentary vetting committee eliminated another four candidates, putting 24 of the 31 nominations to a parliamentary vote, in which a candidate required 31 votes to be able to run in the election. Another candidate, Khalid al-Zarraka, did not appear on the publicised list of nominations, but was included in the parliamentary vote. In the vote itself, 21 of the 25 (including al-Zarraka) did not receive any support.
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| Ali Abdullah Saleh Ali Abdullah Saleh Field Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh is the first President of the Republic of Yemen. Saleh previously served as President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1978 until 1990, at which time he assumed the office of chairman of the Presidential Council of a post-unification Yemen. He is the... |
182 |
| Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi is a Yemeni politician who was a candidate in the 1999 presidential election in Yemen. He ran as an Independent, despite being a member of the General People's Congress, against President Ali Abdullah Saleh... |
39 |
| Khalid al-Zarraka | 25 |
| Ali Salih 'Ubad Muqbil | 7 |
Thus only two candidates managed to obtain approval from MPs; President Saleh and Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi
Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi
Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi is a Yemeni politician who was a candidate in the 1999 presidential election in Yemen. He ran as an Independent, despite being a member of the General People's Congress, against President Ali Abdullah Saleh...
, a member of Saleh's party running as an independent.