Yemen's divided parliament growing further apart
Literally and figuratively, the two sides of Yemen's split parliament are miles away from each other and show no sign of reconciliation.
BEIRUT — As fighting continued in other areas of the country, part of Yemen's divided parliament met April 13 in Seyon for the first time since the civil war began four years ago. By April 16, the legislators were discussing a draft bill to classify Houthi rebels as a terrorist group.
The mostly Shiite, Iran-backed Houthis had suspended the parliament in February 2015. Last month, Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, a Sunni who leads the Saudi-backed internationally recognized Yemeni government, called the first session to order. Hadi, Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and some of their supporters have been living in exile in Saudi Arabia for about nine months, but traveled to Seyon for the occasion.
The head of the General People's Congress, Sultan al-Barqani, was unanimously elected speaker by the 138 members who attended. Later, six more members attended subsequent sessions. The full parliament has 301 members.
In an April 16 statement, Barqani described the first session as “historic.” He postponed all further meetings until the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which lasts from early May to early June.
