Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, launched a fierce attack on politicians from his party in the National Reconciliation Government headed by Mohamed Salem Basindwa. He described them as "losers" during a crowded celebration of the 30th anniversary of the General People’s Congress (GPC) on Monday. The celebration was held in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and was attended by prominent party
leaders.
The celebration was led by the Second Vice President of the Party Dr Abdul Karim al-Iryani. Saleh called for the audience to support President Hadi and the Conference of National Dialogue in a long speech to his supporters. His speech covered the background of the GPC, previous positions and Hadi’s assumption of presidency under a political settlement. This settlement meant he was elected as a consensus president for two years.
Saleh strongly criticised advocates of disengagement between the north and south, describing such demands as, "the whims of people who want to govern." He confirming that he voluntarily handed over leadership because he was keen not to shed Yemeni blood, not because of protests against him in February 2011, in what became known as the Arab Spring.
Saleh mocked the charges of, "destabilising political settlement" and creating chaos directed at him by opponents. He said, "If a storm happened in the US, they would say the former regime and Ali Abdullah Saleh was behind it."
Saleh criticised the performance of the Military Committee headed by Hadi and warned of attempts to destroy the army through restructuring. This refers to president Hadi's decision to merge some military units with others and the redeployment of some of them. This shuffling empowers the command of his eldest son, Ahmed Ali Saleh who is commander of the Republican Guard and Special Forces (elite units in the Yemeni army).
According to politicians, the absence of President Hadi from the celebration, confirms the existence of disputes between him and his predecessor President Saleh. However, party sources in the General People's Congress told Arabstoday there is no dispute between them. Party Sources said Hadi’s absence was for security reasons, as advised by the ambassadors of the Security Council members. Another reason was to avoid provoking Saleh’s opponents, because he represents a consensus presidency representing all political forces.
The General People’s Congress (GPC) was founded in 1982, in the north of Yemen before fusion with the South in 1990. Totalitarian parties controlled both parts of the country at the time. The GPC became a partner with the Yemeni Socialist Party in the South and made an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood party “al-Tajammu'u al-Yamani Lil-Islah” (Yemeni Unity for Reform) after the war of 1994.
Saleh governed Yemen from the 1997 elections until 2011, the year of popular protests that swept Yemen and led to the defection of 50 MPs of the regime of Saleh’s party. Yemenis submitted to form a national reconciliation government headed by the opposition, the General People's Congress which occupies 50 percent of ministries powers.
Since President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi assumed the presidency of Yemen, a faction in Saleh’s party called for Hadi to become President of the party. Saleh's opponents meanwhile demanded Saleh's political retirement, exile and the dismissal of his relatives in positions of power.

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