Yemeni election results delayed to Thursday

The preliminary results are excellent Sanaa – Khalid Haroji The Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum in Yemen (SCER) announced the delay of the presidential elections results to Thursday, as the vote count was not completed in more than 100 districts out of 301.
An official source told ‘Arabstoday’ that the Commission convened to receive results and vote counts from several electoral districts. The source stated that the delay in the process was what led to the postponement of the press conference, originally meant to be held on Wednesday.
“The screening of votes was carried out in about 200 electoral districts, and the preliminary results are excellent, both in terms of turnout and of votes in favour of the consensus candidate,” the source added, pointing out that there have been a few invalid votes.
Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) praised the success of the Yemeni elections, stressing that the elections will bring security and stability back in the country.
A GCC mission has been monitoring some of the election stations and praised the high turnout of voters who came in unexpectedly large numbers on February 21 to mark a formal end to the 33-year-rule of Saleh.
The United States, the European Union, the United Nations, Russia, Spain , the GCC states and  other countries congratulated on Wednesday the people of Yemen on the successful presidential elections.
In an official statement, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton congratulated the Yemenis "on today's successful presidential election," calling it "another important step forward in their democratic transition process."
However, Clinton said that more work remains to do. "As part of the GCC Initiative, Yemenis will convene a National Dialogue Conference to address critical issues like national unity and the fundamental structure of Yemeni government and society, and to take action to address urgent economic, social, and humanitarian challenges," she said.
"The United States, along with its partners in the international community, will continue to support Yemen as it works to implement these reforms and confront these challenges so that all Yemenis will have the opportunity to realize their potential."
Despite being widely praised internationally, Tuesday's elections were also widely criticised for having Saleh's Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi as the sole candidate.
Meanwhile, four people were killed in clashes between gunmen and security forces in the southern city of Aden, two senior security officials in the city said.
Another 14 people were injured and were treated at a local hospital, security officials also said.
In the port city of Mukalla, south-west of Sanaa on the Gulf of Aden, a soldier was killed on Tuesday and four other were wounded while polling centers were stormed, Yemeni state news agency SABA reported, quoting an official source.
"Gunmen have ambushed the soldiers, as they were removing stones from a street in Ghuaizi area in Mukalla," the agency reported.
"Outlaws" were blamed for breaking into polling centres in two districts of Hadramout, the source said.
A sniper killed a member of the security forces at a polling station, members of the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum reported.
There were no signs of similar problems in Sanaa however, as the referendum-like elections seems to run smoothly amid tight security.
Meanwhile, some youth and activists said they were not happy withTuesday's vote, stressing that elections should have more than one candidate. However, some stated that they would support Hadi as long as he proved to be good for the country and its people.
For many, particularly in the once-independent south, Hadi remains too closely tied to Saleh's rule to represent any change.
The Human Rights Watch called on Hadi to make quick reforms, once he is finally in charge.
"Yemen's potentially historical transition could be off to a shaky start unless Hadi makes an immediate break with the abuses of the past," said Letta Tayler, HRW's Yemen researcher. "Yemen's new leader needs to move decisively to usher in promised reforms that uphold human rights and the rule of law."
Ahead of the vote, officials had set up at least 10 checkpoints in Aden. However late Monday, hours before polls opened, explosions rocked four neighbourhoods. Security officials said no one was hurt.
Saleh handed power to Hadi as part of a deal brokered by Persian Gulf states and will formally relinquish his office after the vote. Saleh is currently in the United States to receive medical treatment for wounds suffered after last June assassination attempt at the presidential palace during battles between government troops and tribal fighters.
The United States has been backing Yemeni efforts against Al-Qaeda and has periodically struck targets inside Yemen, as happened in September, when a drone strike killed American-born cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki.
US ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein said the transition laid out in the Gulf plan, as well as the efforts to boost the economy and deliver basic services will be critical "in terms of our ability to defeat Al-Qaeda and other violent extremist organisations in the country."