Yemen: the inauguration of the socialist party congress

The Yemeni news Agency Sabaa reported that the opposition Yemeni socialist party on Wednesday opened works of its conference in Sanaa in the presence of more than 2400 representatives to elect members of its political bureau and central committee.

A source close to the conference said its works will last for one day and the participants will re-elect Ali Saleh Abbad as a secretary general for the party and will also elect members of the political bureau and the central committee.

An official in the socialist party said the party decided to expand the membership at the central committee from 120 to 301 members. The official explained that " 137 out of those 301 will be elected during the conference and the others will be appointed."

Also to be expanded is the membership of the political bureau from 23 to 31 members including the Party's secretary general.

The party held its last conference by the end of November 1998 and it was then the first conference to be held since 13 years.

Worthy mentioning the Yemeni Socialist Party was ruling in Southern Yemen which was united with North Yemen in 1990. It tries in 1994 to make a separation attempt from the north. But this attempt was foiled by the northern forces of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The main leaders of this party are in exile and death sentences in absentia were enacted against them.