Yemen Government 1997

Country name
conventional long form : Republic of Yemen
conventional short form: Yemen
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
local short form: Al Yaman

Data code YM

Government type republic

National capital Sanaa

Administrative divisions 17 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, Aden, Al Bayda,Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Ataq, Dhamar, Hadhramaut, Hajjah,Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Ta'izz
note: there may be a new governorate for the capital city of Sanaa

Independence 22 May 1990 Republic of Yemen was established on 22 May 1990 with themerger of the Yemen Arab Republic {Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen} and the Marxist-dominatedPeople's Democratic Republic of Yemen {Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen}; previouslyNorth Yemen had become independent on NA November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire)and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

National holiday Proclamation of the Republic, 22 May (1990)

Constitution 16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994

Legal system based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribalcustomary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the formerpresident of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and SouthYemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since NA October1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Aziz ABD AL-GHANI (since NA October 1994); DeputyPrime Ministers Abd al-Wahhab al-ANISI (since NA October 1994), Dr. Abd al-KarimAli al-IRYANI (since NA October 1994), Dr. Muhammad Said al-ATTAR (since NAOctober 1994), and Abd al-Qadir al-BA JAMAL (since NA October 1994)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of theprime minister
elections : president elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term;election last held 1 October 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); vice presidentappointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointedby the president
election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of House of Representativesvote - NA

Legislative branch unicameral House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popularvote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 April 1997 (next to be held NA April 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 189, Islaah 52,Nasserite Unionist Party 3, Baath Party 2, independents 54, election pending1

Judicial branch Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders there are over 12 political parties active in Yemen, some of the moreimportant are: General People's Congress (GPC), President Ali Abdallah SALIH;Yemeni Reform Grouping or Islaah, Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR; YemeniSocialist Party (YSP), Ali Salih UBAYD; Nasserite Unionist Party, leader NA;Baath Party, leader NA
note: following the May-July 1994 civil war, President SALIH's General People'sCongress and Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Yemeni Reform Grouping,or Islaah, formed a coalition government, but it is unclear whether this coalitionwill continue in light of the GPC's landslide victory in the April 1997 legislativeelection; the YSP, a loyal opposition party, boycotted the April 1997 legislativeelection

Political pressure groups and leaders NA

International organization participation ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery : Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760, 4761
FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador David G. NEWTON
embassy: Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa
mailing address : P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa
telephone: [967] (1) 238843 through 238852
FAX: [967] (1) 251563

Flag description three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similarto the flag of Syria which has two green stars and of Iraq which has threegreen stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered inthe white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eaglecentered in the white band

NOTE: The information regarding Yemen on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Yemen Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Yemen Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.