Yemen · Government
Government and administration in Yemen
How the executive, legislature and administrative state are organised, and which body is responsible for what.
The three branches
- Head of state — Presidential Leadership Council
- Eight members; assumed presidential powers in April 2022 without express constitutional basis.
- Executive — Council of Ministers
- Internationally recognised government, seated in Aden and partly operating from abroad.
- Legislative — House of Representatives
- 301 members last elected in 2003; has met only intermittently since 2014.
- Consultative — Shura Council
- 111 appointed members.
- De facto authority — Houthi (Ansar Allah) administration
- Controls Sana'a and much of the north; operates its own courts and appoints judges.
How legislation is made
Under the constitution, bills are passed by the House of Representatives and ratified by the head of state, with publication in the Official Gazette. Since 2014 this process has not operated normally: the recognised government legislates largely by decree from Aden, and the Houthi authorities issue their own instruments in the areas they control. Determining the applicable rule in a given place and period is a factual question, not merely a legal one.
Enforcement institutions
- Public Prosecution
- Nominally unified; in practice separate offices operate under rival authorities.
- Central Bank of Yemen
- Split since 2016 between Aden and Sana'a branches issuing separate currency.
- Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption
- Established 2007; operation has been largely suspended.
- Ministry of Interior police forces
- Command and control vary by area.
- Tribal shaykhs and arbitrators
- Enforce customary settlements, including compensation for homicide and injury.
Government bodies and regulators
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