Ministry calls for gun-free Yemen election

SANAA, Yemen, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The Interior Ministry of Yemen warned that any person found carrying a weapon during Tuesday's uncontested presidential election will be arrested.

Vice President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi is the only candidate in the election.

Hadi became the consensus candidate per a Gulf States-backed initiative signed in November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by representatives of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the pro-democracy opposition. Among other things, the agreement called for Saleh to be removed from office.

Saleh was driven from power by a yearlong protest and under pressure from his former allies. He sustained severe burns during a bombing of his palace mosque last summer and has spent time recovering in Riyadh and the United States.

A Yemen Post report quoted an election official as saying a large turnout was expected because Yemenis realize "this time their votes are going to count." The official said many people declined to participate in the past because they believed their vote would make no difference.

Some people expressed dissatisfaction with this election because there is only one candidate, the Post report said.