13/7/1999. 
Main Headlines:
1- Amid widespread public satisfaction as a result of the opposition's agreement on the Presidential candidate, Mr. Moqbel presents his nomination papers to the Parliament.
2- The Opposition Coordination Council meets with leaders in the Islah Party to discuss the failure of the Supreme Elections Commission in the issue of correcting the voters lists.
3 - A report released by the Parliament reveals illegal tax collecting by the government estimated at billions of Yemeni Rials.
4- The Algerian suspect Abu-Hurairah testifies in the court that he was admitted into the country by a Yemeni passport given to him through Bin Ladin.
5- In Ibb, a group of armed bandits broke into the shop of a money changer and ran away with YR. two million, while another group of security staff interrupted a wedding party to arrest the bridegroom amid strong outrage from the attending party.

-- Issue's Editorial
At the outset of this week, parties in the Opposition Coordination Council were able to take the first and the most important step on the road of their struggle to fulfill the people's expectations when they successfully agreed on a unified presidential candidate with a unified agenda and platform. Similarly important is that those parties are now more aware of their historical responsibilities for affecting the long-desired change, armed with a strong will and determination to overcome any possible obstacles on the road to a better future.
Moreover, this agreement is a wonderful example of these parties unshakable allegiance to and respect for the will of the masses who have been suffering in exemplary patience and forbearance. In fact, this move is a true response to the pulse of every citizen of Yemen who, for a very long time, has been waiting for the time when he/she can freely determine their own destination and optionally substitute the heritage of decay with the practical alternative of change. When the ordinary citizen says yes for the opposition candidate, he/she indeed says yes for a future that can assimilate the spirit of our times and at the same time will never overstep the singular values of our society.

-- Issue's Editorial
Members in the PGC's Permanent Committee have unanimously nominated president Ali Abdullah Saleh as their candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. This nomination comes to reflect the will of the majority in our country as the members of PGC's Permanent Committee do not represent themselves alone, but stand for a considerable section of the Yemeni people the country over. It is true that this nomination provides a strong support to the president, but at the same time, it should increase his sense of responsibility and commitment to the masses in his party, and also to the Yemeni people as a whole. In this respect, we believe that the words President Saleh delivered to the PGC's PC members should be put into force as the basic and vital public demand. More often than not, we hold the President accountable for most of what's happened in our country for he alone has the decision and the power to direct the course of events in Yemen. Perhaps the President himself is better acquainted with the pressing demands of the public, so he can put an end to the state of corruption and chaos although he seems to be hesitant to deal with these issues that are strongly embedded in the complicated realities of the tribal and militaristic society of Yemen. This state of indecision has done harm to the president's good reputation that was created through times of great achievements.
In regard to the opposition in our country, we think it is time that it should reconsider its responsibilities and set them in due order, as its performance has often proved to be unrealistic and bears no relationship to the urgent demands of the public. This issue is of paramount importance for the opposition parties to rebuild bridges of communication with the public, bridges that have been so far disconnected.

-- Issue's Editorial
The message our brothers in the government received from the Emerging Democracies Forum has been unmistakably clear and evident. They have been told by the Forum that Yemen is passing through a critical transitional period, and that if she passes it, she will be able to put her feet on the first good step on the road of democratization. In other words, this message calls on the Yemeni government to begin this process with a clear vision that should move along with a comprehensive political reform to clear away all the crooked practices and distorted traditions inherited from the old totalitarian regime.
The Forum has strongly affirmed that democracy can never be completed with the absence of the Other in a fair and equal play of democracy, and that election is not an end in itself but a means of effecting a better change in the people's life.
That has been the message delivered to the officials in our country. Yet, it was only a few days after the Forum that these officials nonchalantly ignore these messages, at least as far as their recent preparatory activities for the Presidential elections seem to indicate. So far they have been unable to grasp the full significance of this prime experience, and instead they have settled their minds to utilize the presidential election in the best possible way that can in order to serve their own interests. Now, given the recent unhealthy environment surrounding the pre-election activities, the future consequences that loom in the horizon can only bring forth failure and disappointment, which could damage the entire process of our young democracy.
We faithfully hope that some one in the government is listening attentively to this message, before it is too late.

-- Issue's Editorial
Ali Saleh Obad, better known as Moqbel, is a well known name among the Yemeni National movement and among the Yemeni people at large. During the country's legitimate struggle to free itself from colonial dominance, Mr. Moqbel was among the few staunch fighters who were esteemed for their special talents in leadership and respected for their integrity of character and clean record in politics. In the pro-independence stage, during the period of national reconstruction, Mr. Ali Saleh Obad held a number of senior political posts, and, at the end of each political assignment, he came out as honest and clean as he came in, thereby adding to his brilliant national record in the public service.
Moqbel, this ever-present name in all political ups and downs of modern Yemen has always stood with his own intellectual and political convictions, and never show remorse for the pains and sufferings he had to withstand as a result of his convictions. Conversely, he never expected the people's gratitude, nor is he now waiting for any kind of reward as his modest standard of living demonstrates. Several years ago, when the Yemeni Socialist Party, Mobil's party, was badly hurt as a result of the war and secession, he never hesitated to join hands with his comrades to start the difficult process of the party's reconstruction to enable it restore its leading and natural place in the national front. Again, when he was chosen by his party and other parties in the Opposition Coordination Council as their presidential nominee, he with all the grace and modesty known of him, accepted this challenging task, notwithstanding the enormous difficulties and problems that are facing the process of democracy in Yemen.
This is Moqbil, a bold fighter and an honest citizen, who is now the YSP's and the opposition's presidential nominee.

-- Issue's Editorial
Official statements never cease coming forth, reassuring the public of the country's economic situation. In the meantime, economic deterioration continues while inflation crushes the majority as the rate of the local currency continues to decline. Yet the officials never stop talking about remarkable results that have been achieved through the financial and economic reform.
Every one except our officials ar sure that these statements mean something, while the reality is something else. Nevertheless these statements shall continue, especially in this particular hot season of elections.