Opposition politicians in Yemen are disputing the preliminary results of an election in which veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh is expected to have won a landslide victory.
Preliminary results from Wednesday's elections show the president leading with 80 percent of the votes. His main contender, Faisal bin Shamlan, has about 20 percent.
Political parties supporting the president's opponent say they will take to the streets to protest the results. They allege voting irregularities.
European Union election monitors have spoken positively of the elections, calling them an "open and genuine" political contest.
President Saleh has ruled Yemen since 1978.
He became the head of the Republic of Yemen when two Yemeni states merged in 1990. Yemen has been a steady ally of the United States, and government forces have clashed with Islamic militants operating in the country.
Yemen is the ancestral home of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.