22 May 1990, the former president of North
Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen);
Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October
1994)

head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Qadir BA JAMAL (since 4
April 2001)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
advice of the prime minister

elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a
five-year term (a new constitution amendment extends the term by two
years to a seven-year term); election last held 23 September 1999
(next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by the
president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by
the president

election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of
vote: Ali Abdallah SALIH 96.3%, Najeeb Qahtan AL-SHAABI 3.7%

Legislative branch: a new constitutional amendment ratified on 20
February 2001 created a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura
Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House
of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve six-year terms)

elections: last held 27 April 1997 (next to be held 27 April 2003)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
GPC 189, Islah 52, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab
Socialist Baath Party 2, independents 54, election pending 1; latest
seats by party: GPC 223, Islah 64, Nasserite Unionist Party 3,
National Arab Socialist Baath Party 2, YSP 2, independents 7

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: there are over 12 political parties
active in Yemen, some of the more prominent are: General People's
Congress or GPC [President Ali Abdallah SALIH]; Islamic Reform
Grouping or Islah [Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR]; National
Arab Socialist Baath Party [Dr. Qassim SALAAM]; Nasserite Unionist
Party [Abdel Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali
Salih MUQBIL]

note: President SALIH's General People's Congress or GPC won a
landslide victory in the April 1997 legislative election and no
longer governs in coalition with Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn
al-AHMAR's Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah - the two parties had
been in coalition since the end of the civil war in 1994; the YSP, a
loyal opposition party, boycotted the April 1997 legislative
election, but announced that it would participate in Yemen's first
local elections to be held in February 2001; th