Poll: 53.8 percent reject female candidacy for governors’ election

According to a poll conducted by the Yemeni Poll Center (YPC) over the governors and mayor elections, 78.3 percent affirmed these elections’ are significant for Yemen while 21.5 percent said the elections are not important. 

Also, 23.5 percent of those who assured its significance said it is important because it will entrench the democratic march in Yemen, and 17.2 percent said it was essential because the elections will enhance the decentralization process and will contribute in transferring the authority to the local authorities. The third category related its significance to the fact that it will enlarge the public participation in decision making. 

On the other hand, among the 21.5 percent that said the elections were not important: 26.6 percent of them related their views because the state is not serious to adopt real democracy, while 23.4 percent of them said the elections are not important because only the ones that the state wants to win, will win. 19.5 percent said the elections aim to beautify the image of the state, and 16.4 percent of them said the elections aim at alleviating the political tension in Yemen.

Concerning the characteristics that should be acquired by the candidates, 31.4 percent of the voters preferred that the candidate should be honest and qualified, 27.6 percent preferred the candidates that have high academic degrees while 24.4 percent stressed that the candidate should be a citizens from the same governorate or a one of the governorate’s sons. 

Concerning the issue of nominating a female for the post of governor or mayor, 53.8 rejected this idea, even if the female candidate obtains all the categories for the post. On the other hand, 43.3 percent said they might vote for a female if she meets all the categories, and 2.3 percent said they did not know whether they vote for a female or not. 

Among those rejecting the candidacy of a female for the post of the governor or the mayor, 34.1 related their view to that the society will not accept dealing with a woman in this post, and 33.7 of this category said that appointing or electing a woman for the governor or mayor post contradicts with the Islamic religion and 29.7 percent of them see that men are better than women for the post of the governor or the mayor. 

The poll covered 600 graduates, post graduates and higher academic degrees holders in six governorates, including the capital, Aden, Taiz, Amran, Hodeidah and Hadramout. 82.5 percent of them were graduates, 6.3 percent post graduates, 6.7 percent master degree holders and 4.5 percent Bhd degree holders. 

According to the YPC, 51.9 percent of the poll slice were independent affiliating to no political party, 33 percent affiliating to the ruling party GPC, 8.1 percent affiliated to the Islah Islamic party, 3.9 percent to the Yemeni Socialist Party YSP, 1.8 percent to the Nasserite Unionist Party NUP, 0.7 percent to the League of the Sons of Yemen LSY, 0.5 to the Ba’ath party, and 0.2 refused to mention their affiliation. 

75.7 percent of the voters that were covered by the poll were male compared to 24.3 females. 

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