Political Leaders: North Yemen

Leaders of North Yemen
(Yemen Arab Republic, 1962-1990)

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Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website.

See the current Republic of Yemen for data since 1990 as well as the former People's Democratic Republic, or South Yemen, which unified with North Yemen on 22 May 1990 to form the Republic of Yemen.

Note: Yemen (Sanaa) gained independence from the Ottoman Empire on 30 Oct 1918, although the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was not granted its first international recognition up to 2 Sep 1926. The Yemen Arab Republic was proclaimed on 27 Sep 1962.

Parties: MSA: General People's Congress n/p: non-party

Heads of State

Kings and Imams
Yahya ibn Muhammad              2 Sep 1926 - 17 Feb 1948 (†1948) (1)
Abdullah ibn Ahmad             18 Feb 1948 - 14 Mar 1948 (†1948)
Ahmad ash-Shams ibn Yahya      15 Mar 1948 -  1 Apr 1955 (†1962)
Abdullah ibn Yahya              1 Apr 1955 -  5 Apr 1955 (†1955)
Ahmad ash-Shams ibn Yahya       5 Apr 1955 - 18 Sep 1962 (†1962)
Muhammad al-Badr ibn Ahmad     19 Sep 1962 - 27 Sep 1962 (†1996)  

President of the Republic 
Abdullah as-Sallal             27 Sep 1962 -  5 Nov 1967 (†1994) military (2)

Chairman of the Republican Council
Abdul Rahman Yahya al-Iriani    5 Nov 1967 - 13 Jun 1974 (†1998) military

Chairmen of the Command Council
Ibrahim Muhammad al-Hamadi     13 Jun 1974 - 11 Oct 1977 (†1977) military 
Ahmad al-Hussein al-Ghashmi    11 Oct 1977 - 22 Apr 1978 (†1978) military

President of the Republic 
Ahmad al-Hussein al-Ghashmi    22 Apr 1978 - 24 Jun 1978 (†1978) n/p

Chairman of the Presidential Council
Abdul Karim al-Arashi          24 Jun 1978 - 18 Jul 1978 (†2006) n/p

President of the Republic
Ali Abdullah Saleh al-Hashidi  18 Jul 1978 - 22 May 1990 (†2017) n/p, MSA            
 
(--> continued as president of the unified Republic of Yemen)

(1) Imam since 4 Jun 1904.
(2) Styled chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council to 3 Oct 1962. Deposed Imam Muhammad al-Badr continued resisting in rebellion against the republican regime until Mar 1970, when the civil war ended.

Prime Ministers

Ali ibn Abdullah al-Wazir       Feb 1948 -    Apr 1948 (†1980) n/p
Hassan ibn Yahya                Apr 1948 - 18 Jun 1955 (†2003) n/p
 Ahmad al-Sayari              5 Oct 1962 -    Oct 1962         n/p (Royalist Government in exile)  
 Hassan ibn Yahya               Oct 1962 -    Apr 1967 (†2003) n/p (Royalist Government in exile) 
 Abdul Rahman ibn Yahya         Apr 1967 - 15 Jan 1969         n/p (Royalist Government in exile)
 Hassan ibn Yahya            15 Jan 1969 -  1 Dec 1970 (†2003) n/p (Royalist Government in exile) 
Abdullah as-Sallal           28 Sep 1962 - 26 Apr 1963 (†1994) military 
Abdul Latif Dayfallah        26 Apr 1963 -  5 Oct 1963 (†2020) military    
Abdul Rahman Yahya al-Iriani  5 Oct 1963 - 10 Feb 1964 (†1998) military  
Hassan al-Amri               10 Feb 1964 - 29 Apr 1964 (†1989) n/p  
Hamoud al-Jaifi              29 Apr 1964 -  6 Jan 1965 (†1985) n/p                 
Hassan al-Amri                6 Jan 1965 - 20 Apr 1965 (†1989) n/p  
Ahmad ibn Muhammad Numan     20 Apr 1965 -  6 Jul 1965 (†1996) n/p
Hassan al-Amri               21 Jul 1965 - 18 Sep 1966 (†1989) n/p    
Abdullah as-Sallal           18 Sep 1966 -  5 Nov 1967 (†1994) military     
Mohsin Ahmad al-Aini          5 Nov 1967 - 21 Dec 1967 (†2021) n/p
Hassan al-Amri               21 Dec 1967 -  9 Jul 1969 (†1989) n/p
Abdul Salam Sabrah            9 Jul 1969 -  2 Sep 1969 (†2012) n/p (acting)
Abdullah Kurshumi             2 Sep 1969 -  5 Feb 1970 (†2007) n/p
Mohsin Ahmad al-Aini          5 Feb 1970 - 26 Feb 1971 (†2021) n/p
Abdul Salam Sabrah           26 Feb 1971 -  3 May 1971 (†2012) n/p (acting)
Ahmad ibn Muhammad Numan      3 May 1971 - 24 Aug 1971 (†1996) n/p
Hassan al-Amri               24 Aug 1971 -  5 Sep 1971 (†1989) n/p         
Abdul Salam Sabrah            5 Sep 1971 - 18 Sep 1971 (†2012) n/p (acting)
Mohsin Ahmad al-Aini         18 Sep 1971 - 30 Dec 1972 (†2021) n/p
Khadi Abdullah al-Hajri      30 Dec 1972 - 10 Feb 1974 (†1977) n/p
Hassan ibn Muhammad Makki    10 Feb 1974 - 22 Jun 1974 (†2016) n/p (acting to 3 Mar 1974)      
Mohsin Ahmad al-Aini         22 Jun 1974 - 16 Jan 1975 (†2021) n/p   
Abdul Latif Dayfallah        16 Jan 1975 - 25 Jan 1975 (†2020) military (acting)
Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani       26 Jan 1975 - 15 Oct 1980 (†2011) n/p 
Abdul Karim al-Iriani        15 Oct 1980 - 13 Nov 1983 (†2015) MSA 
Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani       13 Nov 1983 - 22 May 1990 (†2011) MSA

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