The Fate of Yemeni «Legitimacy» and the Repercussions of its Survival on Yemen Crisis

South24 | Analytics 

The narrative of asserting Yemeni legitimacy, or the so-called internationally recognized government, emerged following the Houthi group’s control of the capital, Sanaa, and the departure of the legitimate Yemeni President, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi early 2015. Therefore, Yemeni legitimacy is summarized in the person of President Hadi, first as a temporary authority to transfer Yemen from the state centralization to the federal state, in accordance with the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanism and the outcomes of the so-called Yemeni Dialogue Conference, and secondly as an internationally supported legitimate authority in accordance with UN Resolution 2216 in April 2015 in exchange for not recognizing the Houthi control of the country in late 2014.

All these legal documents that support the legitimacy of President Hadi are expressed in the so-called "three references" that the government of President Hadi always sets as a condition for resolving the Yemeni crisis, and they also constitute the strengths of Yemeni "legitimacy". But in terms of facts and events on the ground, there is no support for this narrative in light of the Houthis’ control over most of North and the STC over most of South, in return for the Hadi government remaining outside Yemen, in addition to the weakness and fragility of its role in light of the deteriorating humanitarian economic conditions. All of this prompted some Yemeni political parties to discuss the option of removing President Hadi. In conjunction with the appointment of the new UN envoy and the international call for a comprehensive political settlement that includes all the actors in the Yemeni crisis, which requires expanding the circle of recognition of these parties and thus withdrawing the international cover from the legitimacy of President Hadi.

The legitimacy of President Hadi.. Backgrounds and outcomes

On February 21, 2012 Hadi assumed the presidency of Yemen from his predecessor, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the wake of the youth revolution that erupted in early 2011 and ended with the latter’s departure. Hadi remained Saleh's deputy with limited powers from late 1994 until the moment he became president. His long tenure as a deputy revealed his politically unrequired personality in a way that does not raise issues and therefore does not raise concerns. So once again, coincidence played its role in Hadi’s accession to the presidency of Yemen, after President Saleh responded to the political agreement to transfer his authority to the latter in accordance with the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanism and the consensus of all Yemeni parties. In addition, presidential elections were held in which Hadi was the only candidate as a formality that gives him more legitimacy. and political powers.

Despite this, the importance of President Hadi remained in waving the scarecrow of the political vacuum and the country's entry into an endless cycle of conflict. This was reflected in his resignation in protest against the Houthi “coup” and their takeover of the Northern capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 [1], when the House of Representatives was unable to decide on Hadi’s resignation at that time. Therefore, the latter's politically undesirable personality emerged, along with the dangers of entering the Yemeni state into a political vacuum.

From this point of view, the legitimacy of President Hadi derives its importance, in addition to that, regional and international concerns about the Houthi control of Yemen gained more importance, which was soon reinforced by the Arab and international consensus and the issuance of Resolution 2216, which identified it as the internationally recognized party.

On the other hand, the weaknesses of President Hadi’s legitimacy are represented in his excessive reliance on his aforementioned strength, which was reflected in his negligent performance, which he believed to be needed by all “local, regional and international” parties, and consequently, on the military level, he showed laxity in defending their political legitimacy, considering this as one of the parties’ tasks. Which expresses its concern about the Houthis' control of Yemen, on the other hand, on the political level, the government of President Hadi has failed to carry out its responsibilities towards the Yemeni people in light of the collapse of the economic and humanitarian situation in exchange for the flourishing of administrative and financial corruption.