A senior Yemeni official revealed that the war-torn country’s lawmakers will convene for the second time in the interim capital of Aden after the Riyadh agreement gets signed by the internationally-recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and the Shura Council Mohammed Moqbel al-Himyari, in a phone conversation with Asharq Al-Awsat, said that parliament will hold its second session in Aden upon the signing of the Riyadh agreement.
Speaking on the lawmakers’ task of monitoring the cabinet’s work, Himyari said: “It will only be through the presence of all state institutions inside Yemen and in the city where state organs are located and the permanent seat of government.”
As for convening the second session, he stated it will be held as soon as government officials are back.
He stressed that the convening of the legislature in the interim capital of Aden would be a new blow to the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
The first session was held in the Seiyun district in the Hadhramaut province in April.
The internationally-recognized President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi presided over the meeting which was the first in four years, or since Houthis launched their nationwide insurgency.
At the time, the parliament asked the cabinet to present a bill which blacklists Houthis as a terrorist organization. It also passed the state budget for 2019, recommending that the government cut spending and using resources to end the Houthi insurgency.
Speaking on the role played by Saudi Arabia in mediating between the Yemeni government and the STC, Himyari said: “The Yemeni people and their government have full confidence in what Saudi Arabia is doing in favor of Yemen, and on unifying people and political forces to become one front against challenges, especially Houthis.”
