The following is a list of the heads of state of modern Yemen, from the establishment of the Kingdom of Yemen in 1918 to the present day.
Yemen is in a tumultuous state since the start of the Arab Spring-related Yemeni crisis in 2011; the crisis resulted in the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012, after 33 years in power.[1] The presidency was then transferred to Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Since 2014–2015, the country has been in a civil war (alongside the Saudi-led military intervention aimed at restoring Hadi's government after the Houthi takeover) with several proto-state entities claiming to govern Yemen: the internationally recognized Cabinet of Yemen/Presidential Leadership Council, the Houthi-led Supreme Revolutionary Committee/Supreme Political Council, and the secessionist Southern Transitional Council.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Portrait | Imam | Reign | House | Claim | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign start | Reign end | Duration | ||||||
Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din | 30 October 1918 | 17 February 1948 [7] | Rassid | Imam of the Zaydis since 4 June 1904 | ||||
Ahmad bin Yahya | 17 February 1948 | 19 September 1962[8] | Rassid | Son of Yahya | ||||
Muhammad al-Badr | 19 September 1962 | 26 September 1962 [9] | Rassid | Son of Ahmad |
Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
President of the Republic | ||||||
Abdullah al-Sallal | 27 September 1962 | 5 November 1967 | Military | |||
Chairman of the Republican Council | ||||||
Abdul Rahman al-Eryani | 5 November 1967 | 13 June 1974 [10] | Independent | |||
President of the Republic | ||||||
Ibrahim al-Hamdi | 13 June 1974 | 11 October 1977 [11] | Military | |||
Ahmad al-Ghashmi | 11 October 1977 | 24 June 1978 [12] | Military | |||
Chairman of the Presidential Council | ||||||
Abdul Karim Abdullah al-Arashi | 24 June 1978 | 18 July 1978 | Independent | |||
President of the Republic | ||||||
Ali Abdullah Saleh | 18 July 1978[13] | 22 May 1990[14] | Military | |||
General People's Congress |
Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
President of the Republic | |||||||
Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi | 30 November 1967 | 22 June 1969 [15] | National Liberation Front | ||||
Chairman of the Presidential Council | |||||||
Salim Rubai Ali | 23 June 1969 | 26 June 1978 [16] | National Liberation Front | ||||
Ali Nasir Muhammad | 26 June 1978 | 27 December 1978 | National Liberation Front | ||||
Yemeni Socialist Party | |||||||
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council | |||||||
Abdul Fattah Ismail | 27 December 1978 | 21 April 1980[17] | Yemeni Socialist Party | ||||
Ali Nasir Muhammad | 26 April 1980 | 24 January 1986 | Yemeni Socialist Party | ||||
Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas | 24 January 1986[18] | 22 May 1990 | Yemeni Socialist Party |
Portrait | Name | Elected | Term of office | Political party | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
President of the Republic | ||||||||
Ali Abdullah Saleh | 1999 2006 | 22 May 1990 | 27 February 2012 [21] | General People's Congress | ||||
Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi | — | 4 June 2011[22] | 23 September 2011 | General People's Congress | ||||
23 November 2011 | 27 February 2012 | |||||||
27 February 2012 | 7 April 2022 [23] | |||||||
Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council | ||||||||
Rashad al-Alimi | — | 7 April 2022 | Incumbent | General People's Congress | ||||
President of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee | ||||||||
Mohammed al-Houthi | — | 6 February 2015 | 15 August 2016 | Houthis | ||||
President of the Supreme Political Council | ||||||||
Saleh Ali al-Sammad | — | 15 August 2016 | 19 April 2018 [24] | Houthis | ||||
Mahdi al-Mashat | — | 25 April 2018 | Incumbent | Houthis |