Yemeni presidential election, 2012

The presidential election in Yemen in 2012 was held on February 21 election, which was announced as a result of the protests in Yemen 2011. The President is elected for a term of two years and is intended to provide it with a government of national unity and constitutional reform foundations for a democratic change. The only candidate was the former Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Prehistory

In the context of the Arab Spring in December 2010, there were protests against the governments in various Arab states, the overlapped end of January 2011 on Yemen. The 1978 ruling authoritarian President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been made in particular responsible for severe poverty and hunger. After months of violent clashes between security forces and demonstrators, as well as tribal militias Saleh agreed in November 2011 to a negotiated by the Gulf Cooperation Council agreement whereby the presidency to Vice President Hadi pass and be held new elections within 90 days. Meanwhile, Saleh is in the United States to seek medical treatment.

Ahead

In to 1990, the independent South Yemen opposition groups called for a boycott of the elections and to split off from North Yemen. A day before the election was committed to a polling station in the south Yemeni port city of Aden, a stopper with a grenade.

Already in mid- January, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expresses deep concern about the situation in Yemen. She warned that anwachse due to the unstable situation of the influence of al - Qaeda. This had brought the Yemeni city Rada'a under their control. U.S. President Barack Obama, however, announced a few days before the election in a letter to Hadi that the United States will be "a strong and reliable partner " of Yemen and reiterated at the same time the hope of political change.

Implementation

In carrying out the election, there were battles. At least four people died, including two in Aden, where half of the 20 polling stations were closed because of security problems. In the south of the country to have died during the clashes about ten people.

In many places in the south, which are controlled by rebels of the al -Qaeda in Yemen, such as Zindschibar, people did not go to vote. From election observers was reported that 60 percent of the population turned out to vote. Hadi was elected with 99.8 percent of the vote for president.