2nd LD: Yemen's Houthi group announces formation of presidential council

The Shiite Houthi group announced Friday the formation of a presidential council to take over power from the presidency, a move further deepens the chaos after Yemen's president and premier submitted resignation last month.

In a "constitutional declaration" aired by the state television controlled by the Houthi group, the group said a national presidential council comprised of five members will be formed to replace the presidency to run the country in the next transition period.

Moreover, it said the Supreme Revolutionary Committee will establish a transition national council comprised of 551 members to replace the parliament which is currently under control of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Government sources said the Houthi's declaration is unilateral without reaching a consensus with other political parties. However, some senior officials including the defense minister and interior minister of the outgoing government were seen attending the meeting held in the Republican Palace in Sanaa.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah submitted their resignations late last month amid a standoff with the Houthi group which has controlled the capital since September 2014.

Yemen's political parties have been holding consultations brokered by U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar for more than two weeks, aiming to reach a consensus to fill the power vacuum.

However, the official Saba news agency reported Benomar left Sanaa for Riyadh on Friday morning after the negotiations fell into deadlock.

The Houthi group said in the statement that the presidential council will form a technocrat government within the next few days.

Negotiators who attended consultations in the past few days said the presidential council would be headed by Ali Nasser Mohammed, a former president of South Yemen before the 1990 merger with North Yemen.

On Thursday, negotiators said they initially agreed to form an interim presidential council to run the country for a year, the major parties including the General People's Congress led by former president Ali Abdullash Saleh, the Sunni-dominated Islah party, the pro-secession Southern Movement, as well as the Houthi group failed to reach a consensus on the council members, legitimacy of President Haid and the parliament, and status of the army.

The parliament is due to hold a session to vote on Hadi's resignation, which, however, was delayed indefinitely.

On Sunday, the Houthi group proposed a three-day ultimatum for a solution to end the current political crisis, otherwise it would take "necessary steps" if "peaceful transfer of power" fails.

The Shiite Houthi group, also known as Ansarullah and based in the far northern province of Saada, has been expanding their influence southward after signing a UN-sponsored peace and power-sharing deal on Sept. 21, 2014 following week-long deadly clashes.

The current crisis was triggered by disputes on the draft constitution which divides Yemen into six federal regions. But the Houthi group demanded amendments to divide Yemen into two regions based on the outcomes of the national reconciliation dialogue wrapped up in January last year.

The impoverished country has been facing rising secessionism and plots by al-Qaida terror networks in the south. It has also suffered persistent unrest since 2011 when mass protests unseated former president Saleh in 2012.

After Hadi took over power from Saleh in 2012, his government has failed to implement substantial political and military reforms, not to mention promoting reconciliation among various political factions. Endit