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Yemen
Women in decision-making positions
No data on number of women in elected local deliberative bodies
No woman is Head of State or Government
No data available on women parliamentarians
No data available on women ministers

Government organization

Spheres of government

Yemen is a unitary state with two spheres of government: central and local.

One tier of central government and two tiers of local government: governorates and Sana'a Capital Municipality, with districts below.

  • Head of State: The President is directly elected by voters.
  • Head of Government: The Prime Minister is named by the President of the Republic.
  • Legislative body: The House of Representatives is a unicameral legislature whose members are directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The Cabinet of Ministers is composed of the Prime Minister, the deputy prime ministers, and ministers selected by the Prime Minister, in consultation with the President of the Republic, to be given a vote of confidence by the of the House of Representative.

  • Organization: Local government is organized into two tiers: an upper tier of the Sana’a Capital Municipality and 21 governorate-level local government units, and a lower tier of 333 district-level local government units.
  • Competencies: Local government is responsible for proposing programs, plans, and investment budgets for the administrative unit and supervising, monitoring, and auditing the agencies of the local authority according to law.
  • Ministerial oversight: Ministry of Local Administration

Overview of local government

Local government composition

Deliberative body: The local council of the governorate is composed of a minimum of 15 elected members. A council president is elected by and from the council to preside over it; the council president is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The executive office of the governorate is composed of the governor, the secretary general, the deputy governor, and the directors of governorate executive organs. The governor and the deputy governor are appointed by a Presidential Decree, upon nomination by the Minister, after the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers. The secretary general is elected by and from amongst the council members. The directors of governorate executive organs are nominated by the governor.

Deliberative body: The Local Council of the Secretariat is composed of 20 elected members. An administrative board presides over the council.

Executive body: The executive council, comprising the secretary general, is the executive body of the Sana’a Capital Municipality.

Deliberative body: The local council of the district is composed of 18-30 elected members. A council president is elected by and from the council to preside over it; the council president is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The executive office of the district is composed of the director general, the secretary general, and the directors of district executive organs. The director general is appointed by a decision of the Prime Minister, upon the nomination of the Minister The secretary general is elected by and from amongst the council members. The directors of the executive organs of the district are appointed by the director general.

Local government elections

Electoral system for deliberative bodies: majority/plurality (first-past-the-post)

  • There have not been local elections in Yemen since 2006. However, by law, the winner in any given constituency shall be the candidate who secures a relative majority of valid votes. If two candidates secure an equal number of votes, the winner shall be determined by a lot.

Electoral system for executive bodies: no direct elections/appointment

  • The executive heads are appointed by the central government.

Source: General Elections and Referendum Law, article 105

  • Gender quotas: No
  • Additional quotas: No

  • Term length: 3 years
  • Last local elections: 2006
  • Next local elections: --

Supreme Committee for the General Elections and Referendum

National legal framework on local government

  • [Draft] Constitution of Yemen, 2015;
  • Constitution of the Republic of Yemen, 1991 (amended through 2015);
  • Decree on the Administrative Division of the Secretariat of the Capital, 2001;
  • General Elections and Referendum Law, 2001 (amended through 2013);
  • Law on Local Authority, 2000 (amended through 2002);
  • Law on Establishing the Secretariat of the Capital Sana’a, 1983.

There are constitutional provisions that establish local government in Yemen. According to Articles 145, 146, and 147 of the Constitution of the Republic of Yemen of 1991 (amended through 2015), “the territory of the Republic of Yemen shall be divided into administrative units. The administrative units enjoy a nominal personality and shall have council which must be freely and fairly elected, both at the local and governorate level, which shall exercise their functions within the borders of the administrative area. The Law shall specify the means for nomination and election of the local authority, its administration and financial resources, the rights and duties of its members, its role in the execution of development plans and programmes and all other Provisions, through considering the adoption of the principle of administrative and financial decentralization as the foundation of a local administration system. All the administrative units and the local council are an inseparable part of the power of the state.”

The House of Representatives is responsible for establishing the national legal framework on local government. The key piece of legislation which regulates local government is the Law on Local Authority of 2000 (amended through 2002), which sets up the administrative and financial decentralization of Yemen through providing the organization and functioning of the local councils.

Sources:

1. UN Women: Data on share of women in local government as of 1 January 2025.

2. UN Women: Information on Head of State and Government as of 1 December 2025.

3. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Data on share of women in the single/lower chamber of parliament as of 1 January 2025.

4. UN Women: Data on share of women Cabinet ministers as of 1 January 2025.

5. Information on local government organization as of 1 January 2023.