Yemen

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has worked in Yemen since the first multiparty parliamentary elections in 1993. Since then, IFES has engaged with various actors and stakeholders in the electoral process. As a result of its long-term engagement in Yemen, IFES is a trusted adviser to various local stakeholders, as well as the international community.

Recently, IFES worked to improve the capacity of the Supreme Commission for Referendums and Elections (SCER), political party officials and civil society officials to respond to the operational and strategic needs of electoral events. Between 2012 and 2015, IFES assisted a range of electoral stakeholders to effectively manage Yemen’s national transition process and implement key Gulf Cooperation Council Agreement benchmarks. IFES provided capacity building assistance to government institutions, provided technical support during the drafting of the legal framework for elections, assisted the Constitutional Drafting Committee, and worked with partners to develop a framework for evaluating electoral disputes and drafting new electoral legislation. IFES also provided ongoing and comprehensive technical support to the SCER on a range of critical areas, including operational planning, election dispute resolution and development of a biometric voter registry.

In addition, IFES has worked with various other Yemeni stakeholders, including the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Legal Affairs and Ministry of Interior, to address fields related to the electoral process, such as political finance.