Yemen appoints Finance Minister as new PM

Aden (Yemen), May 4 (IANS) Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) appointed Finance Minister Salem Saleh Bin Braik as the country's new Prime Minister, following the resignation of Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak.

The decision, reported by state-run Saba news agency on Saturday, came just hours after bin Mubarak stepped down, citing constitutional constraints and obstacles that hindered his reform efforts.

Bin Braik, who has served as the Finance Minister since 2019 and Vice Finance Minister prior to that, has held several key financial and administrative roles throughout his career, Xinhua news agency reported.

The official statement clarified that all current Ministers would retain their positions, with bin Mubarak being appointed as an advisor to the PLC President.

The second article of the decree states that "the members of the government shall continue to do their jobs in accordance with the decision about their appointment".

Bin Mubarak, in his resignation statement, highlighted the "numerous difficulties" he faced, including an inability to reshape the government and implement critical reforms due to limited constitutional powers.

Bin Mubarak, who took office in February 2024, had previously served as Yemen's Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the US.

Yemen's civil war, which began in 2014 when Houthi forces took control of the capital Sanaa, continues to drive instability, with the internationally recognised government operating from Aden.

Mubarak said that he had faced many challenges during his tenure, "most notably being denied the ability to exercise my constitutional powers in making necessary decisions to reform several state institutions, as well as being prevented from carrying out the overdue cabinet reshuffle."

The resignation comes amid a worsening economic crisis in Yemen.

The Yemeni rial is experiencing an unprecedented collapse, deepening the suffering of citizens in a country the United Nations has described as facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The Yemeni government has said it is struggling with a severe financial shortfall due to the ongoing halt of oil exports, which has been in place since October 2022 following Houthi attacks on oil facilities.

The Houthi group has tied the resumption of exports to an agreement on how revenues would be distributed and used to pay public sector salaries nationwide.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country from the internationally recognised government.

--IANS

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