Yemen MPs in Aden Ahead of Voting in Presidential Council, Govt

Speaker Sultan al-Burkani and lawmakers arrive in Aden on Sunday. (Saba)
Speaker Sultan al-Burkani and lawmakers arrive in Aden on Sunday. (Saba)
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Yemen MPs in Aden Ahead of Voting in Presidential Council, Govt

Speaker Sultan al-Burkani and lawmakers arrive in Aden on Sunday. (Saba)
Speaker Sultan al-Burkani and lawmakers arrive in Aden on Sunday. (Saba)

Several Yemeni lawmakers, ministers and members of the Shura Council arrived in the interim capital Aden on Sunday ahead of the arrival of the new Presidential Leadership Council to the city.

The council and new government are set to be sworn in in the city, capping the transition of power from former Presindent Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Informed government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that parliament Speaker Sultan al-Burkani, members of the Presidential and Shura Councils and lawmakers arrived in Aden flying in from Riyadh.

Head of the Presidential Council Rashad al-Alimi and the seven members of the body will arrive at a later time as a security precaution, they added.

In 2020, the Iran-backed Houthi militias launched a ballistic missile attack against the then newly government as it was arriving at Aden airport. Several people were killed and wounded in the assault. The prime minister was unharmed.

In his first remarks to the press since his appointment, Alimi expressed last week his confidence that national efforts and unity will succeed in translating into action the outcomes of the intra-Yemeni consultations that were held in Riyadh earlier this month.

The Council is seeking the "highest level of consensus" among Yemenis given the challenges facing their country.

The Council will rely on consensus between local forces and political and societal groupings to operate with the aim to restore the state and ease the suffering of the people.

It stressed that achieving economic stability and easing humanitarian suffering are its top priorities.

"We realize the amount of challenges ahead of us, but we are determined enough to forge ahead," said Alimi.

"We are relying on the cooperation of all sides, on the local, regional and international levels, to fulfill our national duties" he declared.



Erbil Increases Pressure on Baghdad Amid Ongoing Salary Dispute

A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)
A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)
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Erbil Increases Pressure on Baghdad Amid Ongoing Salary Dispute

A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)
A session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament (AFP)

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani prepares to visit Baghdad this week to attend a meeting of the State Administration Coalition, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesperson, Delshad Shihab.

Meanwhile, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani criticized the federal government’s treatment of the region as “unacceptable.”

The State Administration Coalition, a political and parliamentary bloc, includes the Shiite Coordination Framework alongside Sunni and Kurdish parties supporting Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s government. Despite their backing, Sunni and Kurdish factions have voiced frustrations over unfulfilled promises in the “political agreement document,” citing persistent disputes among political factions as the cause.

The worsening salary crisis has become a significant issue for the KRG, drawing public criticism from citizens. While Erbil insists that salary payments are an undeniable right, Baghdad has linked them to broader conditions, including Kurdistan’s obligation to hand over oil revenues, customs fees, and border checkpoint revenues to the federal government.

Despite occasional financial transfers from Baghdad under Sudani’s government—every two to three months—the payments have been insufficient to resolve the crisis in Kurdistan. Nechirvan Barzani’s upcoming visit to Baghdad aims to present a stronger Kurdish position. However, internal divisions between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Masoud Barzani, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Bafel Talabani, as well as opposition from smaller Kurdish parties, weaken Erbil’s ability to assert its demands.

In preparation for Barzani’s visit, the KRG convened an “extraordinary” meeting on Saturday to forge a unified stance on its negotiations with Baghdad, in the presence of KRG representatives in Baghdad and leaders of Kurdish parliamentary blocs.

“The federal government’s treatment of the Kurdistan Region does not align with its status as a federal entity,” the prime minister said during the meeting.

He also accused the Iraqi authorities of selectively adhering to federal court rulings, stating: “The government only implements court decisions when they are against the Kurdistan Region’s interests.”

While it remains unclear how Baghdad will respond following the State Administration Coalition meeting, a KRG spokesperson hinted at the possibility of Kurdish blocs withdrawing from the federal government in protest over the salary crisis. However, achieving a unified Kurdish stance on such a significant decision remains uncertain due to internal disagreements among Kurdish parties.