Yemen Pm-Designate Offers Houthis 6 Ministries

Yemen's prime minister-designate Khaled Bahah on Saturday declared the distribution of ministerial portfolios in his expected new cabinet, saying he would give six of these portfolios to his country's Shiite Houthis.



Bahah added on his Facebook page that he would also offer southern separatists six more portfolios in his expected 34-portfolio cabinet.



Bahah's government would be formed in the light of a peace and partnership agreement signed in Yemen more than a month ago.



On Saturday, he said on his Facebook page that he would assign Houthis, who have been controlling the Yemeni capital since September 21, the petroleum, electricity, insurance, higher education, culture and justice portfolios.



He added that he would offer southern separatists the education, communications, public works, agriculture, industry and legal affairs portfolios.



Bahah added that he would also offer nine ministerial portfolios to the General People's Congress Party, which is headed by ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whereas the remaining nine portfolios would go to a coalition of other political parties.



Excluded from the new cabinet map were the ministries of interior, defense, foreign affairs and finance. President ABD Rabbuh Mansur Hadi is due to name the ministers of these four ministries in the light of the peace and partnership agreement.



This is the first time Yemen's Houthis are given ministerial portfolios. The Shiite group has been controlling the capital Sanaa since September 21 and seeks to extend its control onto other areas.



Yemen has been dogged by political turmoil since a popular uprising that erupted in 2011 toppled autocratic ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh one year later.



Some Arab capitals have accused Shiite Iran of supporting Yemen's ongoing Houthi insurgency.



By Mohamed al-Samei



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Sana