At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Yemen

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President President Ali Abdallah SALEH
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Abd Al-Karim AL-IRYANI
• Assembly: Yemen has a bicameral Parliament (Majlis) consisting of the Shura Council (Majlis Alshoora) with 111 seats and the House of Representatives (Majlis Annowab) with 301 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 5-year term.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the president.
• In the Shura Council (Majlis Alshoora) 111 members are appointed by the president. In the House of Representatives (Majlis Annowab) 301 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 6-year terms.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Ali Abdullah SALEH
  Alliance: General People's Congress (GPC) / المؤتمر الشعبي العام‎
• Najeeb Qahtan AL-SHA'ABI
  Independent(s): N/A

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 16,942,230 (July 1999 est.)
• Registered Voters: 4,637,728 ( 1997 )