Public Opinion Getting Greater Attention from Yemeni Lawmakers

The opinions of Yemeni citizens are getting greater Parliamentary consideration, and for the first time in Yemen some findings from opinion polls have resulted in the passage of legislative amendments.  The Yemen Polling Center (YPC), with support from the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) local grants program, conducted opinion polls that assessed the public’s attitudes toward the General Elections and Referendum Law, and toward several laws relating to women’s rights.  The YPC parlayed some poll findings into proposed amendments submitted to the Parliament for consideration. Among the YPC-proposed amendments passed by the Lower House was new legislation that would enable Yemeni women with non-Yemeni husbands to pass their citizenship rights to their children.

The Yemen Polling Center (YPC) -- the first registered non-government organization (NGO) specialized in public opinion surveys and research in Yemen -- engaged parliamentary committees, as well as civil society representatives, citizens, specialists, and media experts in discussions to identify laws on the parliament’s agenda that especially merit closer examination of public opinion. “The purpose of the project is to involve the public in deciding on laws that directly affect them; to educate the parliament about the importance of public’s attitudes and response; and to issue laws that are connected to reality on ground, which is not the case at present,” explained Hafez Al Bukari, President of YPC.

The first two polls exploring women’s rights were performed on a random sample of respondents, distributed in different geographical locations. Some of the main findings included significant support for a women’s quota and a vast majority of respondents favoring the establishment of a legal marriage age for women.  About 70% of women and 40% of men supported allocating a quota for women during internal party elections.  More than 68% of women and 41% of men favored a quota of 15-30% of women candidates for political parties at the general elections.  63% of men and more than 83% of females supported setting a legal age for marriage; 35% chose the age of 18 as a minimum, 25% chose 21, and 7% chose the age of 15.  The survey also revealed enormous support (70% of all respondents) for a woman’s right to retire at the age of 60.  More than half of the surveyed sample agreed on transferring Yemeni citizenship to children of a Yemeni mother and a non-Yemeni father. 

The YPC also surveyed a sample of media, civil society, union, political, business, and academic opinion-makers on the structure of the Higher Election Committee, amending electoral districts, formation of election committees, voters’ registration, and campaigning.  Some of the main outcomes disclosed some support (29%) for the Higher Election Committee to be comprised of political parties represented in the parliament, in equal percentage, while 20% preferred that the Committee should constitute only judges.  Regarding field election committees, 34% (the highest percentage) believed that those committees should be equally represented by each political party represented in the parliament. The majority of respondents strongly supported a ‘national monitoring body’ approved by all parties, to monitor the Central Bank during elections or referendums.  About 90% of respondents believed that parties and candidates need to reveal their sources of campaign funding to ensure integrity. 

“We are very enthusiastic to see the parliament’s ratification of the draft election law.  Our next step will be approaching the parliament and holding symposiums on NGO law during the month of May. Al Bukari said. “Field surveys relevant to NGO law are currently being conducted,” he added.

Although YPC faced some challenges such as postponement of parliamentary sessions due to political reasons, Al Bukari said that he is satisfied with the positive response YPC have had so far from members of the parliament.  Regional media also took interest in their project; Al Jazeera news channel broadcasted the two-hour symposium that YPC held on Election law.

Poll results, focus group discussions, and symposiums received extensive coverage in print media such as Al-Nass weekly newspaper, Yemen Post, Al-Sahwa net, 26 September, and News Yemen.