Yemeni president and government resign

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi has resigned as Yemen’s president following a prolonged standoff with Shi’ite Houthi rebels, presidential adviser Sultan Atwani announced late Thursday.

The decision to resign was made after Houthi gunmen failed to honor an agreement to withdraw from the presidential palace, he said.

Hadi’s resignation came just hours after Prime Minister Khalid Bahah and his cabinet resigned following the latest unrest in the capital Sana’a.

In comments on Facebook, Bahah said that he had resigned in order to “avoid being dragged into an abyss of unconstructive policies based on no law.”

“We don’t want to be a party to what is happening or will happen,” he added in reference to the latest unrest in the capital Sana’a.

Yemeni Houthi rebels seized control of the presidential palace earlier this week following disagreements over the draft constitution, particularly regarding the federalization of the state of Yemen.

Although it initially appeared that the president had come to an agreement with the Shi’ite group on Wednesday evening and would remain in power, albeit significantly weakened, Hadi announced his resignation on Thursday.

However Al Arabiya Television on Thursday reported that Yemen’s parliament had refused to accept Hadi’s resignation, according to a government source. An emergency parliamentary meeting will be held on Friday to discuss the issue.

As for the Houthis, the Shi’ite group issued a statement welcoming Hadi’s resignation according to local media.