Yemeni Military Commander Survives Assassination Attempt in Aden

A photo circulated on social media of Saleh Ali Hassan.
A photo circulated on social media of Saleh Ali Hassan.
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Yemeni Military Commander Survives Assassination Attempt in Aden

A photo circulated on social media of Saleh Ali Hassan.
A photo circulated on social media of Saleh Ali Hassan.

A Yemeni military commander survived on Sunday an assassination attempt in the interim capital Aden.

Commander of joint operations at the Aden-based 4th Military Zone Saleh Ali Hassan's convoy was the target of a car bombing as it was traveling the main street in the al-Maala district.

His armored vehicle helped protect him and he was unharmed.

The booby-trapped car exploded as soon as his car approached, with witnesses telling Asharq Al-Awsat that the explosion rocked the main port area and the district's main police station.

A security official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the attack was similar to mode of operation of the Iran-backed Houthi militias.

They had used the same style of attack in previous assassinations, he said.

A police official remarked that the Aden attack was aimed at destabilizing the image of security in the interim capital and impact the positive atmosphere that has prevailed in wake of last month's intra-Yemeni consultations in Riyadh and the formation of the Presidential Leadership Council.

He added that the Houthis had the most to lose from the formation of the council and the most to gain from the destabilization in Aden and other government-held regions.

He revealed that the security agencies, in cooperation with the Saudi-led Arab coalition, have managed to thwart several plots and they are capable of thwarting more.

The Houthis will not succeed, he vowed.



Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
TT

Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo

A petition signed by prominent Tunisians and civil society groups was published on Saturday urging that rejected candidates be allowed to stand in the October 6 presidential election, Agence France Presse reported.

Signed by 26 groups including Legal Agenda, Lawyers Without Borders and the Tunisian Human Rights League, it welcomed an administrative court decision this week to reinstate three candidates who had been disqualified.

They are Imed Daimi, who was an adviser to former president Moncef Marzouki, former minister Mondher Zenaidi and opposition party leader Abdellatif Mekki.

The three were among 14 candidates barred by the Tunisian election authority, ISIE, from standing in the election.

If they do take part, they will join former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and businessman Ayachi Zammel in challenging incumbent President Kais Saied.

Saturday's petition was also signed by more than 180 civil society figures including Wahid Ferchichi, dean of the public law faculty at Carthage University.

It called the administrative court "the only competent authority to adjudicate disputes related to presidential election candidacies.”

The petition referred to statements by ISIE head Farouk Bouasker, who on Thursday indicated that the authority will soon meet to finalize the list of candidates, "taking into consideration judicial judgements already pronounced.”

This has been interpreted as suggesting the ISIE may reject new candidacies if they are the subject of legal proceedings or have convictions.

The administrative court's rulings on appeals "are enforceable and cannot be contested by any means whatsoever,” the petition said.

It called on the electoral authority to "respect the law and avoid any practice that could undermine the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.”