Yemen: Can the young protesters create political parties?

The international community has been quietly urging the young protesters to start forming political parties that might be able to take part in future elections. There are signs that some of the young people are listening. The Co-ordinating Council for Revolutionary Change (which said that 891 demonstrators had been killed since the protests started in February – government sources say that a total of over 1,400 have died) has been an effective voice to the media.

Students have spoken of several groups within it that already have over 40,000 members. They are not likely to obtain licences to set up parties under present conditions (students say that the authorities insist that any new political party must first endorse the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh). At least one of the so-called parties appears to be what might in other circumstances be the youth wing of the GPC.

Islah is well organised within the protest movement. Most students want new parties and do not want to be associated with any of the existing ones, all of which have been discredited in the eyes of the young people.

For more news and expert analysis about Yemen, please see Yemen Focus.

© 2011 Menas Associates