The Yemen Polling Center (YPC) conducted a recent two-day survey in six different provinces to assess the public awareness as for the election of the mayor of Sana’a and governors of provinces.

According to the study, most respondents declared that they heard of governors elections which was due to conducted on April 27 and postponed later until May 17. However, about 13 percent stated that they did not hear of it.

78 percent of respondents pointed out that this election is significant; while about 22 percent stressed that it is of no significance. There have been varying reasons for  considering this election to be significant.

These reasons include enhancing the democratic system with 23.5 percent, transferring authority to local authority with 17.2, Widening the social participation with 16.6, making political reformation by rotation with 12.7, reinforcing the financial and administrative decentralization with 12.3, considering the idea itself to be important with 10 and enhancing other aspects with 7.2.

The answers of those who considered the elections to be not important ranged between the non-seriousness of the state about enhancing real democracy, the lack of fair elections, elections are no more than beautifying the regime, reducing the tension and congestion prevalent in some provinces, and others.

As for the qualifications of governors, the majority of respondents conditioned competence and honesty at 31.4 percent, followed by high scientific qualifications with 27.6 percent, having a governor from the same province at 24.4 percent. When asked to prioritize their selections, the respondents demanded that governors should be from the same province, and holding high qualifications came next and the third by importance was the competency and honesty. They justify their stance by hinting that a governor from the same province will be better informed and aware of the context of people's lives in his province.

When coming to electing women as governors, more than half (53 percent) rejected the idea of electing a woman for the post of governor even if she meets all the required qualifications. In return, 43 percent revealed that they would elect a woman in case she meets the required conditions.

Thirty skilled researchers conducted the survey, of whom eight were women. About 76 percent of respondents are men and the rest are women. The age range was 20-39 for 82 percent and about 17 percent falls between 40-59.

Over 82 percent of the surveyed are university graduates, 6.3 percent have under-graduate degrees, and 6.7 percent have master degrees, while 4.5 percent have post-graduate degrees.

Six hundred respondents were surveyed in six provinces and all of them belong to the educated class.