Yemen president mandates PM to form new government according to Riyadh Agreement

On Wednesday, Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi issued a decree mandating PM Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed to form a new government in accordance with the Riyadh Agreement.

Saba News Agency reported that the second article of the decree ruled that: “The current government will continue as a caretaker body until the formation of the new government.”

Hadi also issued other decisions, including the appointment of Ahmed Salem Rabie as a member of the Shura Council, the appointment of Brigadier General Ahmed Mohammed Al-Hamidi as security director of Aden Governorate with his promotion to the rank of major general, and the appointment of Ahmed Hamid Lamles as governor of Aden.

The international-recognised Yemeni government welcomed the statement issued by Saudi Arabia regarding the proposed mechanism to accelerate the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement.

“The government is keen on the full implementation of the agreement,” noted Rajeh Badi, the government’s spokesman.

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Badi expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the “Saudi brothers” and their support for the implementation of the agreement: “Which aims to stabilise the country, and maintain security and unity, in addition to boosting economic growth.”

He also welcomed the announcement made by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to abandon the system of autonomous administration and their commitment to implementing the Riyadh Agreement.

The Yemeni official hopes that these steps will signal the start of a serious and real initiative to move forward and quickly in implementing the terms of the agreement according to the specified time periods due to “an urgent national need”.

After battles with government forces, the United Arab Emirates-backed STC announced at the end of April what it called “self-management of the south”, which came after months of controlling Aden, the country’s interim capital and other southern regions.