Posts
* Hadi wins mandate to introduce
reforms, restructure army
* Washington praises election as a
milestone to democracy
* Voting ended early after attacks
on Aden poll centres (Recasts, add quotes)
By Joseph Logan and Tom Finn
SANAA, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Yemen
began a new era without Ali Abdullah Saleh on Wednesday after an uncontested
election that gave his deputy a mandate to launch reforms in a country facing
an economy in meltdown, a tenacious al Qaeda wing and rebellions in the north
and south.
Tuesday's election, which was
praised by Washington as a milestone in the country's transition to democracy,
propelled Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to the presidency of one of the poorest
countries in the Middle East, in line with a deal signed in November to end
months of protests against Saleh's 33-year rule.
After a day of jubilation in the
capital Sanaa at the final ousting of a fourth veteran leader by the "Arab
Spring" uprisings, Yemenis returned to work as reality began to set in.
"Yesterday my friends were
telling me this was the beginning of a new era, an end to corruption. Today
it's like nothing happened, nobody has even mentioned it to me. No one is
excited about hearing the election results because they already know who has
won," 22-year-old activist Yusra Ahmed said.
Although Hadi's victory is
assured, high turnout would give him the legitimacy he needs to carry out
changes outlined in the Gulf-brokered power transfer deal, including the
drafting of a new constitution, restructuring the armed forces and preparing
for multi-party elections in two years' time.
The election committee is expected
to release initial results later on Wednesday. An official on Tuesday estimated
turnout was as high as 80 percent.
"Right now Hadi is the only
hope for this country, no other man in Yemen enjoys such broad political
backing from so many competing factions. We have to pin our hopes on him,"
said 45-year-old pharmacist Ahmed al-Sharafi in Sanaa.
But the new leader's legitimacy is
being questioned by northern Shi'ite rebels and separatists in the south, where
the vote was marred by violence in which at least nine people were killed.
Members of Saleh's inner circle also retain key posts.
Security forces opened fire on
stone-throwing anti-election protesters in the southern province of Lahej and
gunmen stormed voting centres, stealing ballot boxes and setting them on fire
in the street, residents and local officials had said.
Southerners demanding a divorce
from the north had called for a boycott of the vote.
"All we can do is wait and
see what the next days bring now that the new president has taken up the reins
of power," said Abdullah Mohammed, a resident of the southern port city of
Aden, where violence forced polling stations to close early and kept many
voters away.
INNER CIRCLE REMAIN
The uprising against Saleh was
part of a wave that convulsed North Africa and the Middle East. Saleh became
the fourth Arab autocrat toppled in the wave of unrest that began in Tunisia
more than a year ago.
"This is another important
step forward in their (Yemenis') democratic transition process and continues
the important work of political and constitutional reform," the U.S. State
Department said in a statement following the election.
Washington wants a united Yemeni
leadership as a partner in its fight against al Qaeda. Yemen is one of the
countries that allow U.S. forces to use drone aircraft to strike al Qaeda
militants, who have exploited weakened central government control to expand
their foothold in the country's south.
Saleh, in the United States for
further treatment of burns suffered in an assassination attempt last June,
joined Tunisia's Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Libya's
Muammar Gaddafi as leaders toppled in the Arab Spring..
The veteran leader may be gone,
but members of his inner circle remain, not least his son Ahmed Ali, who
commands the Republican Guards, and Yehia, his nephew, who leads the Central
Security Forces. They are locked in a standoff with tribal leader Sadeq
al-Ahmar and dissident General Ali Mohsen.
A senior Yemeni official said
Saleh was in California and that he planned to return home before the end of
the week to attend Hadi's inauguration ceremony, expected later this week.
Hadi will have to unite the
military and engage with southern separatists and northern rebels, who saw in
last year's uprising an opportunity to further their own goals.
A leader in the southern movement
congratulated southerners on their "victory" in boycotting the
election and said the movement's factions would soon meet for consultations to
decide whether to take part in a national dialogue prescribed by the Gulf
initiative.
"The new situation which
these elections will create will not differ from the previous situation because
the regime is the same," Ameed Nasser al-Noba said.
Southerners, who accuse the north
of usurping their resources and discriminating against them, are demanding a
divorce from the north. The two regions were separate countries until Saleh
united them in 1990, and fought a civil war in 1994.
"The problem is there is no
trust. They have wrong ideas about us. They can't differentiate between the
people of the north and the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh and we fear that all
they want to do is tear the country into back two halves," said 37-year-old
civil engineer Najib al-Udani in Sanaa.
In the northwest of the country,
Shi'ite rebels known as Houthis have effectively carved out their own state
within a state along the border with top oil exporter Saudi Arabia.
They also called for a boycott of
the vote, which they decried as a plot hatched by the six-nation Gulf
Cooperation Council in league with the United States.
Also pressing on Hadi is a looming
humanitarian crisis in a country where 42 percent of the population lives on
less than $2 per day and water, fuel and electricity are scarce.
"The only thing that has
changed is that the electricity has come back on, that's the only
difference," said 34-year-old Saeed al-Amiri. "I think people feel a
bit cheated. There was all this talk of change and mass participation but now
what? Casting a ballot doesn't stop you from feeling hungry."
