Yemen ruling party chooses the alpha list of Ministries in the new government

By Zaid al-Alaya’a & Majid al-Kibsi Yemen Observer The General People’s Congress (GPC) chose ministries of the Defense, Oil and Minerals and the Foreign Affairs in the new government headed by Mohammed Basendwah of the opposition, stated unconfirmed sources. . The sources mention that the new formation of the government has divided the Ministries between the ruling party, the GPC and the opposition formed of the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP). The agreement on the new government lasted three days in discussions which resulted in two lists of Ministries which the GPC choosing the list that contains the following ministries; Ministry of Defense, Oil and Minerals, Foreign Affairs, Telecommunication, Higher Education, Public Works and Roads, Expatriate, Endowments and Religious Affairs, Tourism, Agriculture and Irrigation, Public Health, Social Affairs and Labor, Fisheries, Youth and Sport, Civil Services and and two state ministries. On the other hand, the JMP has taken over the Ministries of Interior, Finance, Information, Education, Justice, Legal Affairs, Technical and Vocational Training, Planning and International Cooperation, Industry and Commerce, Transportation, Culture, Human Rights, House of Representatives and Shoura Council, Water, Electricity and two State ministries. The distribution of Ministries has been done on the base of 17 ministries for each side. Observers believes that the Ministry of Defense was an essential ministry for the GPC, which made the opposition puts sensitive lists knowing that the GPC will go for the Ministry of Defense. The two lists were put by the JMP and were presented to the GPC in a meeting yesterday at the house of the Vice President, and gave the GPC the chance of choosing which list it would handle in the new government headed by Basendwah. The lists of the overall 34 ministry were divided so that each list will include 5 Sovereign Ministries in each list. In the same context, Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi in an interview with London based al-Hyat daily said that Yemen has entered a new phase after the signing of the Gulf-brokered initiative and its implementation mechanism in the Saudi capital last week. He added that history is witness that President Ali Abdullah Saleh has many supporters in the country that wish he would stay in power as president. “Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime has not left Yemen and Saleh will not leave Yemen. He will remain a Yemeni citizen; he has the right to remain and play a political role through the General People’s Congress,” said al-Qirbi Regarding the end of the crisis in the country, al-Qirbi said that Yemenis are proud that they have emerged with solutions that differ from what happened in Egypt or Tunisia or even Libya that cast their shadows over Yemen. He stressed that the Arab peoples are frustrated and aspire to change to the better. He added: “The Arab world is in the rear. The Arab peoples see the rest of the world advancing while the Arab world is standing still and marking time despite their huge resources.” Earlier last week, Yemen’s Vice-President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi named Mohammed Basendwa, as Yemen’s new interim Prime Minister on Sunday. A decree carried by state media said Mr. Basendwa, a senior opposition leader, had been charged with forming a national reconciliation government ahead of early presidential election scheduled for February 21st, 2012. On November 23rd President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed a GCC brokered power-transfer deal aimed at ending months of violence and political stalemate. Under the agreement Saleh vested Hadi with his presidential powers, allowing him to nominate the country’s new PM and call for early presidential elections. Upon his return from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President Saleh announced that he was granting all those who “committed acts of idiocy during the crisis” a general amnesty, stressing that he was doing so in a bid to move the country towards national reconciliation The amnesty however did not extend to those involved in the June assassination plot in which Saleh himself had been severely wounded alongside dozens of high ranking officials. The attack led to the death of Abdul Aziz Abdul-Ghani the speaker of the Shurah Council. Opposition spokeswoman Hurriya Mashhur rejected the amnesty declaration, saying it went against the Gulf Co-operation Council-brokered agreement that President Saleh signed on November 23rd. Mohamed Basendwah was put forward by the opposition parties on Friday as their chosen Prime Minister candidate. VP Hadi also announced this week that in accordance with the power-transfer deal, the next presidential election would be held on February 21, 2012, in line with the 90 days’ timeframe agreed upon by all political factions. A decree issued to that regard also noted that the current commission was eligible to run the elections according to the current voters’ lists. The US backed, Gulf brokered initiative stated that from the time of signature, President Saleh had 30 days to officially transfer the totality of his powers to his VP and hand over his resignation. Within this time-frame, a new coalition government would be formed and a law granting Saleh, his family and close aides immunity would be passed. The deal came after months of unrest and 3 failed promises of signature on President Saleh ‘s part. Vice President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi said on Saturday that the vote would be held on Feb. 21 and that no party had the right to either annul or change the decree. The announcement was made after Saleh gave him ``the constitutional authorities to carry out dialogue with the parties that signed the Gulf initiative.’’ Meanwhile warplanes killed scores of anti-government tribesmen and jihadists who had overrun part of a military camp in the Bani Hushaish district north of the capital on Saturday. Local sources said that warplanes and artillery had pounded the armed tribesmen and Islamic militias for the past two days. Sources also said that the army reinforced the military site by dropping para-troopers on Thubab Mountain on Saturday night.