It was supposed to be like other elections in the Arab world: The president paints himself as a changed man, the respected opposition candidate is discredited and the opposition ends with an embarrassing loss.
Yemen's landmark presidential election, however, is proving to be anything but ordinary.
Voters went to the polls here yesterday to choose a president and local council representatives in a surprisingly heated contest pitting voters' desire for change against their fear of instability. It may prove to be one of the most open electoral battles in the region, analysts and election monitors say, as President Ali Abdullah Saleh fends off the biggest electoral challenge of his 28-year rule.
His most serious challenger is Faisal bin Shamlan, 72, a former minister and member of parliament who has a reputation of integrity. Shamlan, backed by a coalition of the four largest opposition parties, including its Islamists, has promised to fight government corruption and to distribute authority among Yemen's regions. Government corruption, he insists, has led to growing militancy, Yemen's scourge.
Virtually no one expects Shamlan to win, but most analysts expect his challenge to embolden the opposition in future elections, if not to prompt real political change.
Yemenis are increasingly angered by corruption and a lack of opportunity. But they also see a government with dwindling power in the face of growing Islamist influence, analysts say. Saleh had pledged that he would not run again, but he reversed himself in June after rallies that he said expressed the people's will.
Yemeni officials have gone out of their way to show democracy at work. In a first, all candidates have been given free time on Yemeni television and government financing. They have been given free rein to canvass and campaign everywhere Saleh has, and an independent elections commission has been set up to ensure neutrality. Independent monitors have been encouraged to observe and the news media have been welcomed to report freely.
Each side has attacked the other in speeches, anthems and party newspapers. But Saleh has hit more aggressively in recent days.
The election comes against the backdrop of Yemen's fight against Islamic militancy as part of the Bush administration's war on terrorism. Last week, Yemeni security men thwarted two suicide bombing attacks against oil installations. On Saturday, the government said it had arrested four suspected members of al-Qaeda who were plotting attacks on Sana, the capital.
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