Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi succeeded on Monday in garnering the support of a number of General People’s Congress officials that are loyal to slain former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, revealed partisan Yemeni sources to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Hadi was in Cairo on Monday where he met with a number of pro-Saleh GPC members residing in the Egyptian capital. He met with the officials on the sidelines of his official visit to the country where he held talks with President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
During a meeting with the GPC members, Hadi said that the party had long played a pioneering and national role in Yemen, which garnered it popular support throughout the country.
“We now need to overcome our differences, abandon petty interests and champion the nation and its unity,” he added.
He stressed that recent divisions within the GPC are “temporary”.
Saleh was the head of the GPC before his was killed in December by the Iran-backed Houthis.
He had sided with the militias to spite Hadi given the differences between them. His decision in December to go back on his partnership with the Houthis cost him his life.
His death left the GPC divided between figures forced to yield to the Houthis and others still loyal to their slain former leader. Others still bore lingering negative sentiments towards Hadi and distanced themselves from the legitimate forces, while others opted to join his camp.
Hadi called on the GPC leaders to unite their ranks and political stances and work on restoring trust among the party’s supporters.
“Personal interests will only weaken the GPC and achieve the goals of the Houthis,” he warned the gatherers in Cairo, adding that regional and international powers were hoping that a united GPC would play a role in Yemen’s future.
The sources said that Hadi made strides in eliminating the obstacles hindering some party leaderships from supporting his cause. This will pave the way for uniting its ranks under Hadi’s leadership.
