Agreement on Coalition Government and Parliamentary Co-operation, 30 May, 1993

Brothers Lt-Gen Ali Abdullah Salih, Chairman of the Presidential Council and Secretary-General of the General People’s Congress (GPC); Ali Salim al-Bid, Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Council and Secretary-General of the Yemen Socialist Party (YSP); and Shaykh Abdullah Bin Husayn al-Ahmar, member of the Yemeni House of Representatives and head of the Yemeni Alliance for Reform (YAR), have signed a document on a coalition government and parliamentary co-ordination among the GPC, YSP and YAR. The pact specifies the bases and principles of joint action within the government coalition among the three parties. The following is the text of the document:

(Quranic verse): In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God, who has said: And hold fast, all together, by the rope which God stretches out for you and be not divided among yourselves.

The political parties and organisations signing this agreement realise the importance of concerted efforts at the current stage, at which our people stand on the threshold of a new era with hopes of entrenched democracy, party pluralism and the peaceful transfer of power to reach the aspired national security, stability, progress and prosperity based on justice and equality. This will be translated into words, conduct and action in the state’s departments and constitutional institutions. The signatories also believe that to achieve our people’s hopes and aspirations, all parties, at this stage in particular, must cooperage and combine their efforts. They are convinced that achieving constitutional reforms, tackling economic problems and rectifying the financial and administrative situation require concerted effort to achieve the supreme national interest. Thus, the three parties have agreed to form a coalition government and engage in parliamentary co-ordination in accordance with the following bases, commitments and measures:

First: The Bases

1. Belief in God and defending the homeland and the revolution and adherence to Islamic faith and its tolerant laws.

2. Adherence to democracy and political pluralism as a basic pillar of the country’s political system.

3. Affirming the right of the opposition to exercise its constructive role of enriching and entrenching democracy.
4. Abiding by the charter of political action signed by the coalition parties.

5. Agreement to prepare a draft on constitutional reforms.

6. Agreement on the basic orientations of the coalition government’s programme.

7. Abiding by the media policy that will be agreed on and which will govern relations between the coalition parties.

Second: The Commitments

1. To form a coalition government in which members of the coalition will participate. The make-up of the government will take into account the exigencies of the supreme national interest and its members’ ability to implement the set policies, to work swiftly to resolve citizens’ urgent basic issues and to draw up plans and programmes to achieve balanced economic and social development. The government will take into account the respective political weight of each party in the coalition.

2. To abide by the government’s collective responsibility before the Presidential Council and House of Representatives. Each minister will be personally responsible for running the affairs of his ministry in accordance with valid regulations and laws. Each minister will be enabled to exercise his legal authorities.

3. To abide by the provisions and regulations of the civil service law. No member of the government should impose upon the administrative body under his control any of his party or political views, or use public funds in the interest of the organisation to which he is affiliated.

4. If the relationship between a minister and the senior officials in his ministry lacks harmony and co-operation, the minister should report the matter to the prime minister who, in turn, will hold necessary consultations and adopt the appropriate measures.

5. In order to maintain harmony and co-operation among the members of the government, the prime minister will work to achieve agreement and accord on important political issues and basic matters related to the policy and general trends of the state. If no consensus is reached on a certain issue, the member of the government has a right to record an oral or written objection and at the same time, abides by the approved information policy. This should not obstruct policy-making.

6. The members of the Council of Ministers should abide by the instructions of the prime minister within the framework of the valid laws and regulations.

7. To form a committee to co-ordinate between the GPC and YSP bloc on the one hand and the YAR bloc on the other in the House of Representatives in accordance with regulations that will organise this co-ordination in order to reinforce co-operation and integration between constitutional institutions within the framework of separation among the branches of power in a way that will not undermine the powers of the House of Representatives stipulated by the constitution.

8. The parties to the coalition should announce all their agreements and charters.

9. The parties to the coalition pledge not to adopt stands that are contrary to the agreed upon policies.

10. The signatory parties and organisations to this agreement adhere to the state’s foreign policy. Their external activities should be confined to organisational relations with other parties.

Third: The Measures

The following committees shall be formed to implement this agreement:

1. A committee for laying down the regulations for the work of the coalition within the Council of Ministers.

2. A committee for laying down the regulations for co-operation and co-ordination among the parties to the coalition within the House of Representatives.

3. A committee from the members of the coalition government to prepare the government’s statement of policy in the light of the approved basic policies.

Finally, any signatory to this agreement who finds that it cannot continue to participate in the government, has a right to present the reasons for this to the prime minister. The prime minister, in turn, will hold dialogue with the concerned party to (try to) remove the reasons. If no agreement is reached, the party which wants to withdraw from the coalition will announce its withdrawal explaining the reasons and justifications. This announcement will be made through the media in the same way that this agreement is treated. In any case, no party can withdraw before one year has passed since the formation of the government or six months before the date set for general elections.