List of political parties in Yemen

Template:Sidebar with collapsible lists Before the Yemeni Revolution in 2011 and the following civil war, Yemen was a one party dominant state in which the General People's Congress (GPC) held power.

Legal status

Yemen's Political Parties Law mandates that political parties be viable national organizations comprising at least 75 founders and 2,500 members and not restrict membership to a particular region.<ref name=cp>Country profile: Yemen. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (August 2008). Template:PD-notice</ref> The government provides financial support to political parties, including a stipend for newspaper publication.<ref name=cp/>

Elections 2003–2006

The GPC captured 238 of 301 seats in parliament in the 2003 elections.<ref name=cp/> In the September 2006 elections for local and governorate councils, the GPC garnered 315 seats in the governorates (74 percent of the popular vote) and 5,078 local council seats (74 percent of the popular vote).<ref name=cp/> In the September 2006 presidential election, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) backed opposition candidate Faisal bin Shamlan, whose success in garnering 22 percent of the popular vote was viewed at the time as a first step in challenging the political stronghold of President Saleh and the GPC.<ref name=cp/> However, disputes between the GPC and the JMP in 2007 over election law amendments, coupled with the JMP’s opposition to President Saleh’s proposed democratic reform measures, have halted initial attempts to forge a dialogue between the two parties.<ref name=cp/>

List of parties

For the sake of clarity, this section is divided into three lists. These are major parties, minor parties and defunct parties. Major parties are defined as parties which gained a seat in the last elections in 2003. Since there has been a long time without elections with a lot of political shift in between, parties that either control territory with their armed wing (such as Ansar Allah) or have over 10.000 likes on facebook are also taken into this category. All other operating parties are listed under minor parties. Parties that are long inactive are listed as defunct, although some might be revived at some point.

Major parties

Party		Acronym	Leader	Political position & ideologies
bgcolor=Template:Party color|	General People's Congress المؤتمر الشعبي العام al-Muʾtamar aš-Šaʿbī al-ʿĀmm	GPC	Template:Plainlist	Template:Plainlist
bgcolor=Template:Party color|	Yemeni Congregation for Reform التجمع اليمني للإصلاح at-Tajammu’u al-Yamanī lil-Iṣlāḥ	Al-Islah	Mohammed al-Yadumi	Template:Plainlist
bgcolor=Template:Party color|	Yemeni Socialist Party الحزب الاشتراكي اليمني al-Hizb al-Ishtiraki al-Yamani	YSP	Abdulraham Al-Saqqaf	Template:Plainlist
bgcolor=Template:Party color|	Nasserist Unionist People's Organisation التنظيم الوحدوي الشعبي الناصري at-Tanẓīm al-Waḥdawī al-Shaʿbī al-Nāṣirī	NUPO	Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi	Yemeni unionism Nasserism Anti-Houthi
bgcolor=Template:Party color|	Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي Ḥizb al-Ba‘th al-‘Arabī al-Ishtirākī	ASBP	Qassam Salam (pro-Houthi)	Ba'athism Arab socialism
	Ansar Allah أَنْصَار ٱللَّٰه ʾAnṣār Allāh	Houthis	Abdul-Malik al-Houthi	Template:Plainlist
	Yemeni Rashad Union اتحاد الرشاد اليمني Ittihād ar-Rashād al-Yamanī<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	Ahmad Muhammad Nasir Muhammad Musa al-Amri	Salafism Islamic democracy Yemeni unity
	National Solidarity Party حزب التضامن الوطني Ḥizb al-Taḍāmun al-Watanī<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Tadhamon	-	Centrism
	Southern National Coalition الائتلاف الوطني الجنوبي al-I'tilāf al-Watanī al-Janūbī<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	SNC	Ahmad Salih al-Issa	South Yemeni separatism
	Al-Ahrar Organization تنظيم الاحرار Tanẓīm al-Aḥrār<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	Abduh Bashar	Center-left Anti-corruption pro-Houthi
	Yemen Renaissance Movement تيار نهضة اليمن Tayyār Nahḍah al-Yaman<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	YRM	-	Anti-Zionism Big tent Yemeni unity Economic liberalism
	Union of Popular Forces اتحاد القوي الشعبية Ittiḥād al-Quwa ash-Sha'abiyah<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	-	Arab nationalism Islamic Democracy<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Minor parties

Party		Acronym	Leader	Political position & ideologies
	Yemeni Republican Federal Party الحزب الجمهوري الاتحادي اليمني al-Ḥizb al-Jumhūrī al-Ittihādī al-Yamanī<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	YRFP	Sharifah al-Muqatari	Republicanism Yemeni unity Abolishment of militias Pan-Arabism
	New Yemen Party حزب اليمن الجديد Ḥizb al-Yaman al-Jadīd<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	-	Centrism<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> anti-Houthi
	Free Yemen Party حزب اليمن الحر Ḥizb al-Yaman al-Ḥurr<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	FYP	Nasir bin Yahya al-Arjali	Pro-Houthi
	National Accord Party حزب الوفاق الوطني Ḥizb al-Wafaq al-Watani<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	-	Big Tent<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Pro-Houthi
bgcolor=Template:Party color|	Nasserist Reform Organisation تنظيم التصحيح الشعبي الناصري Tanzim at-Tashikh ash-Shabi an-Nasiri	NRO	- Mujahed al-Quhali	Template:Plainlist
	Liberal Party of Yemen الحزب الليبرالي اليمني al-Ḥizb al-Lībrālī al-Yamanī <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	-	Liberalism
	Peace and Development Party حزب السلم والتنمية Ḥizb as-Salam wal-Tanmiyah<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	SLM	Murad al-Qudsi	Islamic Democracy
	Social Nationalist Party - Yemen الحزب القومي الاجتماعي - اليمن al-Ḥizb al-Qawamī al-Ijtimā'ī - al-Yaman<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	SNPY	Abdul Aziz al-Bakir	Anti-Zionism Pro-Houthi Syncretic politics Yemeni nationalism
	Southern Arabian League Party حزب رابطة الجنوب العربي Ḥizb Rabitah al-Janub al-'Arabi<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	Muhammad 'Ajrumuh al-Awlaqi	Southern Separatism Conservatism
	Yemeni Labour Party حزب العمل اليمن Ḥizb al-'Amal al-Yamani<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	Mukhtar al-Qushaybi	Center-left Social Democracy
bgcolor=Template:Party color|	National Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي القومي Ḥizb al-Ba‘th al-‘Arabī al-Ishtirākī al-Qawmi	NASB	Ahmad Shutri Qasem Salam (pro-Houthi)	Ba'athism Arab socialism
	Yemenyoon Current تيار يمنيون Tayyār Yamaniyūn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Yemenyoon	-	Big tent Yemeni unity
	National Democratic Front Party حزب الجبهة الوطنية الديمقراطية Ḥizb al-Jabhat al-Wataniyah ad-Dīmuqrātiyah<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	NDFP	Nasir an-Nasiri (pro-Houthi)	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Justice and Development Youth Party حزب شباب العدالة والتنمية Ḥizb ash-Shabab al-'Adālah wat-Tanmiyah<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	Bakil al-Humayni	pro-Houthi
	an-Nahdhah Movement for Peaceful Change حركة النهضة للتغيير السلمي Ḥarakat an-Nahḍah li-t-Taghayīr as-Salamī<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	an-Nahdhah	Ali al-Ahmadi	Social Conservatism Islamic democracy
	Justice and Building Party حزب العدالة والبناء Ḥizb al-'Adālah wal-Bināʾ<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	JBP	-	Islamic democracy
	Arab Hope Party حزب الأمل العربي Ḥizb al-Amal al-'Arabī <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	Layla ath-Thawr	Center-left Civic nationalism
	Social Labour Party (Wazef) حزب العمل الاجتماعي الوزف Ḥizb al-'Amal al-Ijtimā'ī al-Wazif<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Wazef	-	Center-left to left-wing
	National Progress Party حزب التقدم الوطني Ḥizb at-Taqadum al-Watani <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	-	Centrism<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	-	Left-wing
	Yemeni Dignity Party حزب الكرامة اليمني Ḥizb al-Karamah al-Yamanī<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	Ahmad Abdurrahman al-'Ammari	Patriotism Centrism<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Militarism pro-Houthi
	Liberation Front Party حزب جبهة التحرير Ḥizb Jabhat at-Tahrīr	-	-	Arab nationalism
	People's Democratic Party حزب الشعب الديمقراطي Hizb ash-Sha'ab ad-Dimuqrati<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Hashd	-	Center-left Arab nationalism pro-Houthi
	Yemeni Social Peace Party حزب السلام الاجتماعي اليمني Ḥizb al-Salām al-Ijtimā'ī al-Yamanī<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	-	Center-left
	Party of the Democratic Union of Popular Forces حزب الاتحاد الديمقراطي للقوى الشعبيه Hizb al-Ittihad ad-Dimuqrati lil-Quwa ash-Sha'abiyah<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	-	-	Arab nationalism pro-Houthi
bgcolor=Template:Party color|	Democratic Nasserist Party الحزب الناصري الديمقراطي al-Ḥizb al-Nasiri al-Dimuqrati	DNP	-Yassin Abdu Saeed	Center-left Nasserism Arab nationalism
	Hizb ut-Tahrir حزب التحرير Ḥizb at-Taḥrīr	HT	Ata Abu Rashta	Islamism Caliphalism
	Party of Truth حزب الحق Ḥizb al-Haqq	HP	-	Zaydi Islamism<ref>Quinn Mecham & Julie Chernov Hwang (2014) Islamist Parties and Political Normalization in the Muslim World, University of Pennsylvania Press, p140</ref>
	Party of the League of the Sons of Yemen حزب رابطة أبناء اليمن Hizb Rabitah Abna' al-Yaman<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Rai	-	Conservatism Islamic Democracy
	Unionist Popular Liberation Party حزب التحرير الشعبي الوحدوي<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	UPLP	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Yemeni Unionist Congregation التجمع الوحدوي اليمني at-Tajammu' al-Wahdawī al-Yamanī	-	-	Center-left Arab nationalism<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Defunct parties

Party		Acronym	Leader	Political position & ideologies
	Democratic Unionist Party الحزب الوحدوي الديمقراطي Ḥizb al-Wahdawi ad-Dimuqrati	-	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Democratic Septembrist Organization التنظيم السبتمبري الديمقراطي at-Tanẓīm as-Sabtambarī ad-Dīmuqrātī	-	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	People's Vanguard Party (South Yemen) حزب الطليعة الشعبية Ḥizb at-Tali'ah ash-Sha'abiyah	-	Abdallah Badhib	Ba'athism
	Popular Democratic Union الاتحاد الشعبي الديمقراطي Ittihad ash-Sha'abi ad-Dīmuqrātī	-	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Revolutionary Democratic Party of Yemen الاتحاد الشعبي الديمقراطي اليمن Ḥizb ad-Dīmuqrātī ath-Thawrī al-Yaman	-	Sultan Omar	Marxism-Leninism Arab nationalism
	Yemen Green Party حزب الخضر الاجتماعي Ḥizb al-Khadhr al-Ijtimā'ī	-	-	Green politics
	Yemeni League Party حزب الرابطة اليمنية Ḥizb ar-Rabitah al-Yamaniyah	-	-	Center
	Yemeni Popular Unity Party حزب الوحدة الشعبية اليمنية Ḥizb al-Wahdah ash-Sha'abiyah al-Yamaniyah	YPUP	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Yemeni Progressive Organization التنظيم التقدمي اليمني at-Tanzim at-Taqadumi al-Yamani	-	-	Center-left

List of coalitions

• The National Council for the Forces of the Peaceful Revolution was declared on 17 August 2011, amidst the Yemeni Revolution, to unite the opposition groups, parties, coalitions, and youth protesters. Among the 143 representatives elected to sit on it are leaders from Al-Islah, the South Yemen Movement, the Alliance of Yemeni Tribes, and the defected First Armoured Division.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

• • The Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) was formed in 2005 by five opposition parties to effect political and economic reform.<ref name=cp/> It includes the northern-based, tribal, and Islamist-oriented Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) and the secular Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), which represents the remnants of the former South Yemeni leadership.<ref name=cp/> According to Al Jazeera English, it was formed in 2002 and includes Islah, Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), Hizb Al-Haq (a semi-religious party), the Unionist party, and the Popular Forces Union party.<ref>Who's who in Yemen's opposition? Template:Webarchive, Al Jazeera English, 28 February 2011</ref> The spokesperson as of 23 March 2011 is Muhammad Qahtan, who replaced Mohammed Al-Sabri.<ref>Yemen passes emergency laws to quell protests, The Guardian, 23 March 2011</ref> Following the fall of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the coalition disappeared without a formal dissolution.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• • The Common Forum includes the five biggest opposition groups in Yemen, including Reform, Socialist, Nasserist, Popular Force and al-Haq.<ref>Yemen activists breaking new ground, BBC News, 2 February 2011</ref><ref>Yemeni police struggle to break up clashing protesters, Al Arabiya News Channel, 14 February 2011</ref> (Likely just another name for the JMP.)

See also

• 2011–2012 Yemeni revolution