SANA'A: After nearly 11 months of popular uprising, hundreds of death and much controversy, it seems that Ali Abdullah Saleh is finally letting go as he is set to sign the agreement in an official ceremony in Riyadh while his vice-President Abdu Rabbo Mansoor Hadi will ink the mechanism of implementation draft in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital. Although claiming for months that he was favorable to a peaceful transition of power under the terms of the GCC brokered initiative, Saleh raised questions over how the agreement would be translated on the ground, warning that without a clear set of rules Yemen would descend onto chaos. After much political pressure and a UNSC resolution issued against the regime, the Opposition and the regime have now allegedly mended their differences and reached an understanding. President Saleh would have agreed to transfer irrevocably to his VP the necessary constitutional powers to not only sign the power –transfer agreement but also implement it. Hadi is now vested with the abilities to: • Call for early elections • Form a new coalition government of national unity • And implement the agreement terms Hadi will be responsible for transitioning Yemen through 2 phases of change, one which will ease the country onto the road to political reconciliation necessary for the organization of fair and free elections, the second in which the country's Constitution will be revised and conformed to the people's wishes. Interestingly, no politician or civilian for that matter would under the proposal be allowed to hold an official office if he or she were ever convicted of violating human rights. This “morality clause” is set to prevent unsavory characters from holding leading positions within Yemen. The Coalition Government Under the terms of the agreement, VP Hadi will have the responsibility to nominate and sworn in a government of national reconciliation, bringing on board politician from all factions. Hadi will have 14 days from the signature of the power-transfer to form the government. 50% of the ministers will be members of the former ruling party and its allies, 50% will be chosen from the Joint Meeting Parties (aka the Opposition). Furthermore 20% of the positions will have to be occupied by women. In order to preserve a certain balance in power, the proposal provisioned for a fair repartition of the ministries with no factions allowed holding complimentary offices such as Defense and Interior ministry and so on. Moreover, a minister of the Opposition will have to have a ruling party member as deputy. Security and Stability Vice-President Hadi the new government, the house of Representatives and the Committee for Military Affairs will be charged with the task of guaranteeing the country's stability. The agreement stipulates that the government will have to open a dialogue with the Youth, ensuring that their demands are not only met but that new policies are implemented to answer to people's wishes. A Military Council will be presided by Hadi as to prepare an overall restructuration of the armed forces, ensuring that no faction has the monopoly over the strategic state institution. Constitution In partnership with Yemeni people the government will charge a Committee with the task of drafting a new Constitution following the election of Yemen's new president. The Constitution will have to address the matter of the state political system as well as preserve the country's unity, reconciling north and south Yemen. BM
