Riyadh (South24 Center)

On Saturday (May 3), Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak announced that he has resigned from his post. This came during a meeting with Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi in the Saudi capital, in a move that was expected in political circles.

Bin Mubarak wrote on the ’X‘ platform (formerly Twitter): "I have just finished meeting with the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi and handed him my resignation from my position as Prime Minister. I ask God to grant success to my successor, and I call on everyone to support him and rally around him to fulfill his duties in this difficult circumstance that our country is going through."

The announcement came two days after an expanded meeting of the Presidential Leadership Council, held Thursday (May 1) in Riyadh, during which members discussed political, economic and military developments and the government's performance file, amid reports of tension between All-Alimi and Bin Mubarak.

According to the resignation letter published by Bin Mubarak, he attributed his decision to “the lack of political will to reform state institutions and not being able to work according to the supposed powers of the prime minister.” Bin Mubarak's letter also noted his inability to carry out a necessary government reshuffle.

However, the letter cited some successes, such as saving $133.5 million in 2024 from electricity fuel purchases. It said that the same amount could have been saved by cancelling the contracts for leased power plants in Aden.

There has been no official response from the Presidential Leadership Council regarding the appointment of Bin Mubarak's successor. Nonetheless, an informed source told ’South24 Center‘ that Yemeni Finance Minister Salem Bin Brik is the one who will be appointed as Prime Minister. He added that there is a consensus among the PLC members regarding this matter. 

These developments come amid an unprecedented economic and service crisis in Aden and the nearby governorates as power outages have reached 22 hours a day. The Yemeni rial has plummeted against the US dollar, reaching its lowest level ever at 2,600 riyals. Bin Mubarak assumed the Prime Ministership of the Yemeni government on February 5, 2024, by a decision of PLC Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi.