The ruling party allocated almost YR 60 billion to buy votes in the 2003 parliamentary elections in an attempt  to increase its election opportunities in Parliament, an international expert specialized in the election affairs said.

Chief expert of political finance  at the International Foundation for Election Systems IFES Dr. Marshen Walky, however, expressed regret over using such sum in what he described as political and electoral corruption while the sum was rather to used to implement infrastructure projects such as schools, hospitals and roads.

He said that a report by the IDEA Organization on democracy building in Yemen  revealed that the ruling party in Yemen had allocated between YR 40-60 billion during the 2003 elections to buy votes.

At a press conference in Sana'a on Wednesday Walky said though the Yemeni election law bans buying electoral votes and using the public funds in elections, there is no observation or control of the spending of public funds on electoral campaigns.

He likened Yemeni legislations to  Swiss cheese full of holes.

He urged that candidates must exercise transparency to disclose resources to fund  their electoral campaigns.

Walky said political corruption linked to financing electoral campaigns is a threat to the whole  development and the development of democracy in particular  in any  country as some businessmen endorse candidates in return these businessmen can ensure  they can  get back what they paid for electoral campaigns through obtaining contracts and investment tenders through  winning candidates they endorse.

Walky brought up  the misuse of the public funds during  elections saying that international monitors judged the electoral process in 2006 was  not totally fair due to exclusive use of public funds.

He said the EU mission, which observed the 2006 local and presidential elections  in Yemen, found out that many officials used the country's resources such as buildings, cars and ceremonies to succeed their electoral campaigns.

Walky said changing the electoral system will not solve the problem of political corruption; however, he said the Party-List system is the best solution to restrict buying votes, even if it will not tackle the problem completely.