Ruling party leads in Yemen polls

President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ruling party enjoyed a healthy lead yesterday in united Yemen's first multi-party elections despite tough competition from an opposition Islamic group, Reuter reports from Sanaa. Results from 284 of the 301 constituencies contested in Tuesday's general election gave Mr Saleh's General People's Congress 120 seats, short of an overall majority but more than double its nearest challenger. The Muslim fundamentalist Yemeni Gathering for Reform, which was organising an opposition meeting to protest against alleged vote-rigging, won 58 seats.