SANAA, October 7 (RIA Novosti) – Changes to the number of candidates is the main reason causing delays in the appointment of a new Yemeni new prime minister, a senior government official told RIA Novosti Tuesday.
"A new prime minister has not been appointed yet due to a change in the number of candidates for the position," the official who holds a senior position in the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Yemen told RIA Novosti on condition of anonymity.
A prime minister has to be appointed in accordance with the Peace and Partnership Agreement signed between the government and the Sunni Houthi rebels in September, the source said, adding that Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi cannot appoint anyone due to a change in the number of candidates for the position.
A consensus on the candidate has not yet been reached but the decision will be made by President Hadi, according to the Yemeni official.
Yemeni Prime Minister Mohammed Basindawa stepped down on September 21 amid week-long deadly clashes between the army and Shiite rebels.
Yemen is currently in a state of turmoil, with Houthi Shiites protesting against the incumbent government since mid-August, urging economic and political reforms.
In September, the Houthi overran Sanaa, seizing administrative and military infrastructure, and raiding homes of government officials, including party leaders. The militants are in control of the entrances to the city, are occupying residential buildings, and using abandoned structures to store weapons and ammunition.
On Monday, Dhaifallah Shami, a member of the Houthis' Political Office told RIA Novosti that insurgents will stay in Yemen's capital Sanaa until a new government which can "provide security" is formed. The group opposes the appointment of a prime minister, who is loyal to "foreign countries", he noted.
