Yemeni President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi (L) delivers the opening speech during the parliamentary session in Seiyun city of Hadramout province, Yemen, on April 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Ismail Rabidhy)
ADEN, Yemen, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Thursday issued a decree forming a Presidential Leadership Council and handed over his power to the newly-formed council to implement the transitional phase in the war-ravaged country.
According to the state-run Saba news agency, Hadi has turned over all his power to the newly formed council and relieved Vice President Ali Mohsin Al-Ahmar of his duties.
Hadi made the announcement during the final day of the Yemeni consultations held in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh.
"By this declaration, I authorize the Presidential Leadership Council to irrevocably delegate all of my power in accordance with the constitution," said Hadi.
A Yemeni national flag is seen at a huge rally held in Sanaa, Yemen's capital, on Oct. 18, 2021 to celebrate the upcoming Mawlid, also known as the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed)
The newly-formed council, consisting of eight members and headed by Rashad Muhammad Al-Alimi, will have the power to rule the Yemeni state politically, militarily, and on the security front.
Al-Alimi is a well-known Yemeni political official who has been working as an advisor to Hadi since 2014 and held a number of government posts, including minister of the interior.
The other seven members of the council include Aidarous Zubaidi, the chief of the pro-secession Southern Transitional Council, and Tariq Saleh, nephew of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Hadi's decision also included forming a 50-member consultative body to assist the council in "unifying the visions and objectives of the various national forces and components."
The newly-formed Presidential Leadership Council will also lead the negotiations with the Houthi militia "for a permanent ceasefire throughout the state," and engage in talks to reach a final and comprehensive political solution."
Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was elected to lead the turbulent Arab country on February 25, 2012 following the handover of power by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in accordance with the Gulf Initiative on Yemen. ■
