Local authorities' accountabilities extension in 2009: Premier says

SANA'A, Sep. 27 (Saba) - Prime Minister Ali Mujawar has asserted
that accountabilities of the local authorities would be extended in
2009.

Speaking on the constitutional amendment draft, Mujawar told the
state-run 26sep.net that next year would witness transferring wide
authorizations from the center to the governorates that would
broaden the participation in decision making and development process.

The Premier highlighted that the government would be, after passing
the constitutional amendment, an authority to draw up the policies
and legislations, while the local authorities would be responsible
for carrying out the various development projects.

He noted that most of the governorates are qualified adequately to
take the responsibilities of the local ruling, however, some
governorates still needs to upgrade their technical and
administrative capacities.

The government will present a comprehensive strategy on
decentralization aiming at launching the decentralization project in
some qualified governorates to be pilot and qualify the other
governorates and provide them with the required support by the
government, Mujawar said.

He added that his government would continue implementing the
presidents' electoral platform in accordance with plans and detailed
programs, even with great challenges facing the country, making
reference to the Saada war and the world food crisis that impacts on
the national economy in addition to the governmental subsidy to the
petroleum derivatives.

The government's subsidy to the petroleum derivatives reaches $ 3.5
billon (about 45 percent of the country's budget) according to
Mujawar, who added that Yemen is the single country in the region
that still pays subsidies to the petroleum derivatives.