SANA’A, Sept. 23 – An open strike continued for the second day Sunday at Sana’a University after elections to choose school administration were shut down, Abdullah Al-Azazi, head of the teaching staff’s syndicate, said. Some doctors in Sana’a University accuse Ahmed Baserda, the current acting rector, and Khaled Tameem, the former rector, of hindering the elections by bringing people on Thursday to close the election hall and to prevent doctors from entering.  Al-Azazi said people unaffiliated with the university attacked doctors. Troops from the First Armored division intervened by shooting in the air. He said the strike would continue a new rector is selected.

“We have no choice but to strike to rehabilitate the dignity of the teaching staff and to topple the illegal administration.”

He said the syndicate is determined to carry out free, direct elections at the university to choose a new administration.

Mahyoob Ana’am, a doctor at Sana’a University, said there are no legal or clear regulations supporting elections. This left the elections political and divided between members of the General People’s Congress (GPC) and the Joint Meeting Parties (JMPs).  There won’t be effective elections with presence of the GPC and the JMPs, Ana’am said, adding that students are the only victims.

Jamal Qasem, a third-year student in engineering, said the strike negatively affected students.

“We can’t study because of the strike,” Qasem said. “We hope that this strike will bring about reform at the university and keep students away from the personal interests of the administrators.”

Nora Al-Shamiri, a second-year law student, said, “Doctors have the right to choose qualified and professional people to represent them by way of elections. They ought to arrange a mass strike; however, the problem is that some doctors are on strike while others aren’t.”