Aden (South24 Center)

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi on Thursday appointed two new members to the council, following the removal of Major General Faraj Salmeen Al-Bahsani and the stripping of Southern Transitional Council (STC) leader Aidarous Al-Zubaidi of their memberships.

According to a presidential decree published by the state-run Yemeni News Agency (SABA), Al-Alimi appointed Field Marshal Mahmoud Ahmed Salem Al-Subaihi and Dr. Salem Ahmed Saeed Al-Khumbashi as members of the Presidential Leadership Council.

The decision cited the Yemeni constitution, the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanism, the 2022 Power Transfer Declaration, and the law regulating the work of the Presidential Leadership Council.

It also referred to the confirmation of two vacant seats on the council: one following the referral of Al-Zubaidi to the Public Prosecutor on charges of “high treason” under Council Decision No. (1) of 2026, and the second following the removal of Al-Bahsani under Council Decision No. (3) of 2026.

The decree said Dr. Al-Khumbashi would retain his post as governor of Hadramout while serving on the council.

Earlier on Thursday, Al-Alimi issued a decision removing Al-Bahsani from the council, accusing him of breaching the principle of collective responsibility, violating his constitutional duties, and providing “political and legal cover” for what it described as illegal military movements carried out by the “dissolved Southern Transitional Council.”

The decision also accused Al-Bahsani of defying sovereign decisions issued by the council, obstructing efforts to unify military and security forces under the authority of the Ministries of Defense and Interior, and cited what it described as a case of permanent medical incapacity.

In response, Al-Bahsani rejected the decision, calling it “constitutionally, legally and politically invalid,” and said it violated the Power Transfer Declaration and undermined the consensus-based foundations upon which the council was formed.

“These decisions raise serious questions about the future of the Presidential Leadership Council and the legality of steps being taken from Riyadh,” he said in a statement.

In a parallel move, SABA reported that Public Prosecutor Judge Qaher Mustafa formed a committee to investigate allegations attributed to Al-Zubaidi, following an earlier decision to refer him to prosecutors.

The Presidential Leadership Council is Yemen’s highest political authority within the internationally recognized government. It was formed in April 2022 after former President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi transferred his powers to the council following consultations held in Riyadh.

The council was originally composed of Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi and seven members: Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, Faraj Al-Bahsani, Abdulrahman Al-Muharrami, Sultan Al-Aradah, Tareq Saleh, Othman Mujalli, and Abdullah Al-Alimi.