Yemen's Houthis to boycott presidential elections

Yemen's prime minister, Mohammed Basindwa Yemen’s Houthis said on Tuesday they will boycott the presidential elections set for February 21, although they will not stop people from voting in their stronghold in northern Saada province, which may lead to political crisis in the country.
The Houthis, who have fought a sporadic war against the government since 2004, announced their intentions in an official statement on Tuesday. At the same time, they said they would back separatists in the south trying to prevent voting from taking place in the regions where they represent the majority. Attempts by the government to use the force to ensure ballots are cast “would represent an unjustified aggression,” the Houthis said.
Under the Gulf-brokered agreement on power transfer, the interim leader and vice president Abdurabu Mansur Hadi will run unopposed to replace the outgoing president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who signed the deal in November and passed some power to his vice-president. In return, he received immunity from prosecution, as did members of his inner circle.
Hadi, who has been endorsed by all parties represented in parliament, will run the country over a two-year period leading to parliamentary elections and a new constitution.
Political analysts in Yemen believe Houthis’ statement may lead to a political crisis in the country between the main two parties, General People's Congress and opposition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP).
Meanwhile, a man was killed Tuesday when a bomb exploded as he was planting it in a polling booth in Yemen's southern city of Aden, a security official said, amid rising tension ahead of presidential elections next week.
"An unknown man trying to plant an explosive device in a polling booth in the neighbourhood of Crater... was killed when it exploded," the official said, requesting anonymity.