Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 April 1997 (next to be held NA April 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 189, Islaah 52, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, Baath Party 2, independents 54, election pending 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: there are over 12 political parties active in Yemen, some of the more important are: General People's Congress (GPC), President Ali Abdallah SALIH; Yemeni Reform Grouping or Islaah, Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR; Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), Ali Salih UBAYD; Nasserite Unionist Party, leader NA; Baath Party, leader NA note: following the May-July 1994 civil war, President SALIH's General People's Congress and Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Yemeni Reform Grouping, or Islaah, formed a coalition government, but it is unclear whether this coalition will continue in light of the GPC's landslide victory in the April 1997 legislative election; the YSP, a loyal opposition party, boycotted the April 1997 legislative election
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU,
CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery : Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760, 4761 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David G. NEWTON embassy: Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa mailing address : P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa telephone: [967] (1) 238843 through 238852 FAX: [967] (1) 251563
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria which has two green stars and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
Economy
Economy - overview: The northern city Sanaa is the political capital of a united Yemen, and the southern city Aden, with its refinery and port facilities, is the economic and commercial capital. Future economic development depends heavily on Western-assisted development of the country's moderate oil resources. Former South Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in Soviet economic support. The low level of domestic industry and agriculture has made northern Yemen dependent on imports for practically all of its essential needs. Once self-sufficient in food production, northern Yemen has become a major importer. Land once used for export crops - cotton, fruit, and vegetables - has been turned over to growing a shrub called qat, whose leaves are chewed for their stimulant effect by Yemenis and which has no significant export market. Economic growth in former South Yemen has been constrained by a lack of incentives, partly stemming from centralized control over production decisions, investment allocation, and import choices. Yemen's GDP has been supplemented by remittances from Yemenis working abroad and by foreign aid. Since the Gulf crisis, however, remittances have dropped substantially. Floods in June 1996 caused the loss of much valuable topsoil in the agricultural sector, increasing the need for imports of foodstuffs. Oil production and GDP as a whole are expected to increase moderately in 1997.