Explosions hit polling stations in Yemen's Aden, 1 policeman killed, 5 injured

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Explosions rocked several polling stations early Monday in Yemen's southern port city of Aden followed by shootouts between security forces and pro- separatism gunmen, killing at least one policeman and injuring five others, a local security officer told Xinhua.

The first explosion targeted a polling center of the electoral committee in the Khor Maksar district in Aden after gunmen believed to be linked to the pro-secession Southern Movement attacked the center with home-made grenades, the officer said on condition of anonymity.

Armed clashes also erupted between the security forces and the gunmen following the explosion, according to local residents.

A witness told Xinhua anonymously that gunshots can still be heard in the neighborhood and smokes seen rising from the committee building.

Elsewhere in Aden, a police officer said on condition of anonymity that bombs planted inside a center of the electoral committee in the Crater district, was detonated, causing a huge damage to the building, but no casualties were reported.

The explosions were well planned one day ahead of the presidential elections, the officer said.

Security officials accused an armed faction of the pro- secession Southern Movement of "masterminding the attacks in an attempt to disrupt the presidential voting from taking place in the country's southern regions by using violence."

However, a source of the Southern Movement denied the accusation, saying that "the security situation in the south is already collapsed and government forces can't take control of the regions here."

"We refuse the fake elections by peaceful means and general strike not by bomb attacks, but the government started using force against the people in Aden either by storming houses of southern activists or by arresting campaigners." the source said.

Local government authorities have tightened security measures in Aden, where secessionists are calling for a boycott of Tuesday' s one-candidate presidential election, by deploying a large contingent of army troops, backed by dozens of armored vehicles across the province, according to local residents.

Leaders of the Southern Movement said they would boycott the early presidential election scheduled on Tuesday by preventing voters from casting their ballots in the voting day.

The Yemeni power-sharing government has geared up for the election, which is part of a UN-backed power transfer deal to ease President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of office and pull the impoverished Arab state back from possible civil war. Under the deal, which was signed by Saleh and the opposition in November 2011, the rival political parties nominated Vice President Abd- Rabbu Mansour Hadi as the sole presidential candidate for the early election. The anti-election riot showed the country's fragile security situation one day ahead of the elections that would end the rule of Saleh who is currently in the United States for medical treatment.