By:almotamar.net - SANA'A- The Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER) has asked the Joint Meeting Parties’ presidential candidate to reconsider his election platform as it contains many legal violations that could render him accountable by law.
The SCER has sent a formal letter to Faisal bin Shamlan explaining to him the flaws in his platform that violate the instructions of the Elections Publicity Guide. The letter cited instances of libel and unreferenced figures and information, demanding that the candidate either mention the source of the platform-included figures or remove them as per law.
The letter reads as follows:
Mr. Faisal Othman bin Shamlan
Joint Meeting Parties’ Presidential Candidate
Greetings,
Pursuant to the SCER’s decision to refer the presidential candidates’ platforms to the Legal and Media & Election Publicity sectors for review and ascertaining that their contents are legally sound, and pursuant to the remarks submitted by the above two sectors following their review of the platforms, and pursuant to the review and approval of the SCER in its minute of meeting No. (61) dated Aug 20, 2006, in which it approved sending letters to the concerned candidates to redraft the statements and phrases included in their platforms that violate the provisions of the law and its executive statute and the Elections Publicity Guide, therefore, we, based on the abovementioned, would like to advise you that your election platform has invited the following observations:
The phrase on page (1), lines (13 and 14), reads, “transcending sadness and crises left by long years of tyranny, corruption, deprivation and clinging to power.”
The phrase on page (2), lines (7 and 8) reads, “the general conditions in the country due to the absence of the state of law and institutions, and lack of equality and justice and the concentration of power in the hand of the State’s head.”
The phrase on page (6), lines (19, 20, 21) reads “and general nationalism has lost its neutrality and has become a means for the ruling party and dominant powers to serve their interests.”
The statement on page (7), lines (16-21) reads “the accessible predictive data and indicators show that only five national resources wasted in 2006 an estimated amount of 1200 billion (one trillion and two hundred billions) which counts for the difference between the actual oil price and the budget-approved oil price as well as the tax and customs loss all of which represent a massive wealth and a shadow budget that exceeds the State’s –announced- general budget, and is expended in the interest of the corrupt and influential persons in the authority and ruling party.”
The phrase on page (18), line (17) reads, “because of the outstanding corruption and his failure to fulfill his commitments.”
The aforesaid statements and phrases included in your election platform are under the two prohibitions provided for in articles No. (33, 38, and 52) of the Elections and Referendum Law No. (13) for the year 2001 and the amendments thereto as well as articles No. (8, 5, 10, and 11) of the Presidential Elections Publicity Guide 2006. In implementation of the SCER’s decision, we hope that they would be deleted or redrafted in such a manner as to comply with the law and its executive statute as well as the Presidential Elections Publicity Guide. You may criticize corruption without libel or slandering lest you and the SCER be rendered liable to contests before courts for violating law.
Your platform also contains a statement on page (2), lines (13 and 14) that reads, “and the rise in unemployment to high levels worldwide as total unemployment is estimated at 43% and impoverishment and abject poverty has spread so much that it covers some 59% of the population.” This statement includes figures and statistical information without citing the source or the entity from which you received them. You should delete these figures and information from your platform in case you do not explain them because they are under the two prohibitions provided for in Article No. (38) of the General Elections and Referendum Law No. (13) for the year 2001 and the amendments thereto as well as Article No. (10) of the Presidential Elections Publicity Guide.