Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Yemeni marshal and politician; President of Yemen (2012-present)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=AprilSeptember 20132020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[Field Marshal]]
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'''Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi''' ('''Abdrabbuh Manṣūr Hādī'''; {{lang-ar|عبدربه منصور هادي}}&nbsp; <small>[[Yemeni Arabic|Yemeni]] pronunciation:</small> {{IPA-ar|ˈʕæbdˈrɑb.bu mænˈsˤuːr ˈhæːdi|}}; born 1 September 1945) is a Yemeni politician and former [[Field marshal|Field Marshal]] of the [[Military of Yemen|Yemeni Armed Forces]]. He was Vicevice Presidentpresident from 1994 to 2012; and the [[Presidentpresident of Yemen]] since 27 February 2012. Although Hadi enjoys international recognition, following the 22 January 2015 armed takeover by [[Houthi movement|Houthis]], his position as Presidentpresident of Yemen has been rejected by Houthis. Because of ongoing military operations inside Yemen, Hadi currently spends much of his time in exile in [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30936940 Profile], bbc.co.uk; accessed 6 April 2015.</ref>
 
Between 4 June and 23 September 2011, Hadi was the acting [[President of Yemen]] while [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] was undergoing medical treatment in [[Saudi Arabia]] following an attack on the presidential palace during the [[2011 Yemeni uprising]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/yemen-jun-4-2011-2332|title=Al-Hadi President of Yemen|newspaper=Al Jazeera|date=4 June 2011}}</ref> On 23 November, he became Acting President again, after Saleh moved into a non-active role pending the [[2012 Yemeni presidential election|presidential election]] "in return for immunity from prosecution". Hadi was "expected to form a national unity government and also call for early presidential elections within 90 days" while Saleh continued to serve as Presidentpresident in name only.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15858911|title=Yemeni President Saleh signs deal on ceding power|newspaper=BBC News|date=23 November 2011}}</ref>
Mansour Hadi was chosen as a president for a two-year transitional period on [[2012 Yemeni presidential election|February 21]] by Yemen's political factions, in an election where he was the sole consensus candidate, although the election was boycotted by Houthis in the north and [[Southern Movement|Southern Secessionists]] in the south of the country. Hadi's mandate was extended for another year in January 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-assassination/yemeni-presidents-term-extended-shiite-muslim-leader-killed-idUSBREA0K13420140121|title=Yemeni president's term extended, Shi'ite Muslim leader killed|author=|date=21 January 2014|publisher=|via=Reuters}}</ref> According to pro-Houthi media outlet SABA, Hadi remained in power after the expiration of his mandate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sabanews.net/en/news387412.htm|title=Saba Net - Yemen news agency|author=|date=|website=www.sabanews.net}}</ref>
 
On 22 January 2015, he was forced to resign by the [[Houthis]] in the midst of mass protest against his decision to raise the fuel subsidies and due to dissatisfaction with the outcome of the 2011 Revolution. Subsequently, the Houthis and the supporters of Saleh seized the presidential palace and placed Hadi under house arrest. The Houthis named a [[Revolutionary Committee (Yemen)|Revolutionary Committee]] to assume the powers of the presidency, as well as the [[General People's Congress (Yemen)|General People's Congress]], Hadi's own political party.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1863/news/4928/President-or-fugitive-Houthis-reject-Hadi%E2%80%99s-letter-to-Parliament.htm|agency=Yemen Times|title=PRESIDENT OR FUGITIVE? HOUTHIS REJECT HADI'S LETTER TO PARLIAMENT|first=Ali Ibrahim|last=Al-Moshki|date=25 February 2015|accessdate=26 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224051459/http://www.yementimes.com/en/1863/news/4928/President-or-fugitive-Houthis-reject-Hadi%E2%80%99s-letter-to-Parliament.htm|archive-date=24 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> A month later, Hadi escaped to his hometown of [[Aden]], rescinded his resignation, and denounced the [[Houthi takeover in Yemen|Houthi takeover]]. He arrived in [[Riyadh]] the next day, as a coalition of countries led by Saudi Arabia [[2015 military intervention in Yemen|intervened]] in support of his government.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/hadi-saudi-riyadh_n_6948558.html|agency=The Huffington Post|title=Saudi Arabia: Yemen's President Hadi Arrives Inin Saudi Capital Riyadh|date=26 March 2015|accessdate=26 March 2015}}</ref> He returned to Aden in September 2015, as Saudi-backed government forces recaptured the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14704951|agency = BBC World News|title = Yemen profile: timeline|date = 24 September 2015|accessdate = 4 October 2015}}</ref> In late 2017, he was reportedly residing in Riyadh under [[house arrest]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Yemeni President Hadi 'under house arrest' in Riyadh|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/yemen-president-hadi-house-arrest-riyadh-171107082638642.html|accessdate=30 January 2018|work=Al-Jazeera|date=7 November 2017}}</ref> On 2 January 2020, the Specialised Criminal Court under Houthi control in [[Sanaa]], sentenced Hadi and his Prime Minister [[Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed]] to death, after the two were convicted of high [[treason]], abuse of government estates and looting the country’scountry's treasury.<ref>{{cite_web|url=https://1buv.com/yemen-court-sentences-hadi-to-death-over-treason-middle-east-monitor/|title=Yemen court sentences Hadi to death over treason – Middle East Monitor|accessdate=2 January 2020|website=1BUV}}</ref>
 
==Early life and education==
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Hadi played a low-profile role during the [[Aden Emergency]]. Following the independence of South Yemen, he rose to prominence in the new military, reaching the rank of Major General.<ref name=alar19feb/>
 
He remained loyal to President [[Ali Nasser Mohammed]] during the [[South Yemen Civil War]], and followed him into exile in neighboring North Yemen. During the [[Yemeni Civil War (1994)|1994 civil war in Yemen]], Hadi sided with the Yemeni government of [[President of Yemen|President]] [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] and was appointed as Minister of Defense.<ref name="alar19feb">{{cite news|title=Saleh's successor: low-profile warrior of consensus in Yemen|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/02/19/195733.html|accessdate=14 April 2013|newspaper=Al Arabiya|date=19 February 2012|agency=AFP|location=Sanaa}}</ref> In this role he led the military campaign against the [[Democratic Republic of Yemen]].<ref>{{cite news|date=26 October 2013|title=Yemen profile - President: Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14704899|newspaper=BBC News|accessdate=7 April 2015}}</ref> Following the war he was promoted to Vicevice Presidentpresident on 3 October 1994, replacing [[Ali Salim Al-Beidh]], who had resigned and fought against the government during the civil war.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}
 
==President of Yemen==
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===Mandate===
{{Main|2012 Yemeni presidential election}}
Hadi was the sole candidate in the presidential election that was held on 21 February 2012. His candidacy was backed by the ruling party, as well as by the parliamentary opposition. The Electoral Commission reported that 65 percent of registered voters in Yemen voted during the election. Hadi won with 100% of the vote and took the oath of office in Yemen's parliament on 25 February 2012.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|first=Laura|last=Kasinof|title=Yemen’s New President Sworn Intointo Office|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/world/middleeast/abed-rabu-mansour-hadi-sworn-in-as-yemens-new-president.html?_r=1&ref=global-home|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=25 February 2012|accessdate=25 February 2012}}</ref> He was formally inaugurated as the president of Yemen on 27 February 2012, when Saleh resigned from the presidency and formally ceded power to Hadi.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iqhKKOqo6XDujeTI_yaD4B0CcyVA?docId=CNG.12cc0199ecc6457c2d2a25874218f73d.691 |title=AFP: Yemen's Saleh formally steps down after 33 years|publisher=Google|date=27 February 2012|accessdate=14 April 2013}}</ref>
 
===Political reform===
[[File:Secretary Kerry and Yemeni President Hadi Address Reporters (Pic 2).jpg|thumb|Hadi meets U.S. Secretary of State [[John Kerry]], 29 July 2013]]
In March 2013 the [[National Dialogue Conference]] was conceived as a core part of the transition process and is intended to bring together Yemen's diverse political and demographic groups to address critical issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/yemens-national-dialogue-behind-closed-doors|title=Yemen's National Dialogue Behind Closed Doors|publisher=Atlanticcouncil.org|accessdate=6 April 2015}}</ref> In January 2014, Hadi pushed delegates at the conference to break a deadlock on key issues and bring the talks to an overdue close. When those in attendance finally agreed on a final few points, he launched into an impassioned speech that led to a spike in his popularity. It was agreed that Yemen would shift to a [[Federalization of Yemen|federal model of government]] in the future, a move which have been proposed and forcefully backed by Hadi.<ref>{{cite web|author=Peter Salisbury|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia/2014/03/yemen-quiet-president-201432112448542617.html|title=Yemen's quiet president|publisher=Aljazeera.com|accessdate=6 April 2015}}</ref> For many Yemenis, particularly in northwestern Yemen, this decentralization was less attractive. This mountainous region is the poorest of Yemen and decentralization would mean that it would receive less money from the central government. Relevant here is that the overwhelming majority of Yemen's population has resided in this area for many years.<ref name="Blumi, Isa p. 196">Blumi, Isa. Destroying Yemen: What Chaos in Arabia Tells Us About the World, p. 196.</ref> Indeed, the 'decentralization' of Yemen along the lines proposed by the Saudi-imposed Hadi regime threatened Yemen's long-term economic and political independence; scholar Isa Blumi points out that "To any rational observer, the idea of developing Yemen into six disproportionate regions with enormous autonomy was a blatant effort to benefit foreign interests and subdue the rebellious populations through poverty and administrative obscurity."<ref name="Blumi, Isa p. 196"/> Indeed, if the Saudi-American decentralization 'road map to peace' is implemented, Yemen's oil wealth would be confined almost entirely to the provinces of Hadhramawt and Saba', Yemen's two least populated provinces.<ref name="Blumi, Isa p. 197">Blumi, Isa. Destroying Yemen: What Chaos in Arabia Tells Us About the World, p. 197</ref> Blumi goes on to point out that "This would make bribing the few thousands of eligible 'residents' with a tiny portion of the oil revenue (no longer flowing to the central state) easy, while creating an enormous windfall for those hoping to steal Yemen's wealth."<ref name="Blumi, Isa p. 197"/> They also didn't like that the new regional borders would rob them of access to the sea.
 
===Military===
In a move to unify the [[Military of Yemen|Armed Forces of Yemen]] which suffered from split since the Yemeni Revolution, Hadi began reforming the Military. He issued Presidential [[decree]] №104 ofNo.104 December 2012 reorganizing the Military into five main branches: Air Force, Army (Ground Force), Navy and Coastal Defence, Border Troops and Strategic Reserve Forces, which includes the Special Operation Command, the Missile Defence Command and the Presidential Protective Forces. The Strategic Reserve Forces replaces the [[Republican Guard (Yemen)|Republican Guard]].<ref>[Yemeni president orders new structure of armed forces. BBC Monitoring International Reports], 21 December 2012; accessed 6 April 2015.</ref>
 
===Security issues===
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In an interview in September 2012 given to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Hadi warned that his country, still reeling from the popular uprising that ousted Saleh, risked a descent into a civil war "worse than Afghanistan" should an upcoming months-long national dialogue fail to resolve the state's deep political and societal rifts. He also said that Yemen was facing "three undeclared wars" conducted by [[al Qaeda]], [[pirate]]s in the [[Gulf of Aden]], and [[Shia insurgency in Yemen|Houthi rebels]] in the north, and that [[Iran]] was supporting these adversaries indirectly without giving further details.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rothkopf|first=David|url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/09/29/yemens_president_warns_of_a_civil_war_worse_than_afghanistan|title=Yemen's president warns of a civil war 'worse than Afghanistan'|date=29 September 2012|publisher=Blog.foreignpolicy.com|accessdate=6 April 2015}}</ref>
 
Houthis, on their side, complained of murder attacks on their delegates to the NDC.<ref>{{cite web|last=Saeed|first=Ali|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1749/news/3388/NDC-extends-Hadi%E2%80%99s-term-for-one-year-on-a-day-marked-by-an-assassination.htm|title=NDC extends Hadi’s term for one year on a day marked by an assassination'|date=23 January 2014|publisher=www.yementimes.com|accessdate=9 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110011236/http://www.yementimes.com/en/1749/news/3388/NDC-extends-Hadi%E2%80%99s-term-for-one-year-on-a-day-marked-by-an-assassination.htm|archive-date=10 January 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
In response to the murder of the Saudi journalist [[Jamal Khashoggi]] after visiting a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Hadi said that the "cheap political and media targeting of Saudi Arabia will not deter it from continuing its leading role in the Arab and Islamic worlds."<ref>{{cite news |title=Middle East leaders back Saudi Arabia after Jamal Khashoggi's murder |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jamal-khashoggi-what-arab-leaders-have-said-about-journalists-disappearance-736661559 |work=Middle East Eye |date=15 October 2018}}</ref>