Va-PoReg Country Report Yemen, South 1900–1989

South Yemen, formerly known as Aden, was annexed by the British on 01/19/1839 and subsequently partitioned into two distinct administrative regions: the Aden Hinterland and Aden Colony. Both regions fell under British Indian jurisdiction during Yemen's colonial history (Ingrams 1938, Robbins 1939).¹ The Aden hinterland (the territory north and northeast of what was later affirmed the Aden Colony) was declared a British Protectorate in 1873, yet its boundaries were not precisely demarcated (Ingrams 1938). The hinterland was not administered directly by Aden but was tied to Britain by treaties of protection with local rulers of traditional polities.¹ Aden remained under direct British rule and administered by the government of the Bombay Presidency until 1932.² In 1932, Aden was ruled as part of British India officially known as the Chief Commissioner's Province of Aden when its administration was put under the direct control of the Viceroy of India.² Since Aden was directly ruled it is classified as a de facto-colony. In accordance with the Aden Colony Order, 1936, Aden became a Crown Colony under the full responsibility of the Colonial Office, effective 04/01/1937.² The Aden Colony encompassed a limited area of 75-80 square miles, comprising Aden, Little Aden, Shaikh Othman, and Perim (Robbins 1939). When Aden was declared a colony in 1937, its hinterland became subject to distinctive jurisdiction issued by the Aden Protectorate Order of 1937 (Robbins 1939). Hence, more precisely it was partially both, a protectorate and a colony. Political liberties were not present until 1945 and not really present from 1946 onward according to V-Dem’s PCLI. Until 1946, V-Dem's JCE is interpreted by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were robust, while V-Dem's LCE is classified by us as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were limited. For the remaining years, V-Dem's JCE is interpreted by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were robust, while V-Dem's LCE is classified by us as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were moderate. LIED does not provide any data for this colonial time.

On this date the colony’s constitution changed and the seats in the Legislative Council which was created in 1947 increased from 16 to 18 with four seats being elected. In the same year the first legislative elections were held. However, after the elections protests and claims for independence appeared. Elections were also held in 1959 with 12 elected members and in 1964. The elections were held under strong voter restrictions.³ LIED does not provide any data for this colonial time. In 1959, six states within the Aden protectorate were joined under the Federation of the Arab Emirates of the South. On 04/04/1962 nine formerly protected states were added and the State of Aden, formerly Aden Colony, joined the Federation on 01/18/1963 establishing the Federation of South Arabia with Aden as its capital city. In June 1963, the National Liberation Front for South Yemen (NLF) was formed in opposition to the British government.⁴ The NLF started an armed struggle with the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) known as the Aden Emergency on 10/14/1963 against British control. Following the Emergency period, the NLF rebranded itself as the National Front and ultimately played a central role in forming the Yemeni Socialist Party, which later governed the nation as a Marxist-Leninist state under a single-party system.⁵ Political liberties were not really present according to V-Dem’s PCLI. Until 1959, V-Dem's JCE is interpreted by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were robust, while V-Dem's LCE is classified by us as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were moderate. From 1960 onwards, V-Dem's JCE is classified by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were robust, whereas V-Dem's LCE is classified by us as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were limited.

On this date, South Yemen gained independence from the United Kingdom. British troops completed their withdrawal from the territory on 11/29/1967. Following the British departure, the NLF seized power.⁴ Quathan Muhammad al-Shabii became the country's first president leading the NLF. In 1967 Universal suffrage was introduced, but no elections were held. ⁶ According to LIED, no multiparty executive or legislative elections were held during the specified period. Political liberties were absent according to LIED and V-Dem’s PCLI. As per Polity5's classification, the executive's authority was subject to minor institutional constraints during this time. For the relevant regime period, V-Dem's JCE is interpreted by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were comprehensive, while V-Dem's LCE is classified by us as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were limited.

Al-Shabii held the presidency until this date, when a hard-line Marxist group from within his own NLF led by Abdul Fattah Ismail and Salim Rubai Ali seized control in an event known as the Corrective Move.⁷ A new constitution was proclaimed on 11/30/1970 which changed the name of the country to People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) (Ismael 1981). PDRY became a Marxist–Leninist one-party state in 1969 and was the only communist state to be established in the Arab world.⁸ On 06/26/1978 Salim Rubai Ali was overthrown and executed allegedly for his role in assassinating the president of North Yemen. Ali Nasir Muhammad became head of the presidential council in the aftermath.⁹ On 12/18/1978 all political parties were amalgamated into the National Liberation Front, renamed the Yemeni Socialist Party in 1978. The first post-independence parliamentary elections were held in South Yemen between 12/16 and 12/18/1978. They saw 175 candidates (all affiliated with the Yemeni Socialist Party, the sole legal party) contest the 111 seats.¹⁰ On 12/27/1978 Ali Nasir Muhammad was forced to resign by Abdul Fattah Ismail who formed a new military-party based junta. However, this is classified as a continuation of the previous communist regime. On 04/02/1980 Abdul Fattah Ismail was forced to resign after a confrontation with his prime minister. The Soviets wanted him to remain as figure head in the government to starve off a bloody conflict between the two factions.⁹ On 01/13/1986 a violent struggle between supporters of Nasir and opponents became a civil war. In the midst of the fight, a violent coup purged Nasir and others. Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas claimed executive power in the party and the ruling junta in the aftermath.¹¹ LIED indicates that no multiparty executive or legislative elections were held until 1978. Thereafter, both executive and legislative elections were conducted, but they were not classified as multiparty. According to Polity5, until 1977, the executive encountered slight limitations on decision-making power imposed by other institutions. From 1978 to 1985, the executive wielded unrestricted authority without any formal limitations during this time. From 1986 onward, the executive faced slight limitations on power. As classified by FH for this regime period, the country is scored from 11 to 14 as not free, which corresponds to our interpretation of not free. In this period, LIED identifies political liberties as absent, while V-Dem's PCLI is likewise classified by us as showing that political liberties were absent. From 1969 to 1977 and from 1981 to 1985, V-Dem's JCE is interpreted by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were comprehensive, while V-Dem's LCE is classified by us as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were limited. From 1978 to 1979, V-Dem's JCE is classified by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were comprehensive, whereas V-Dem's LCE is classified by us as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were absent. Since 1986, V-Dem's JCE is interpreted by us as indicating that judicial constraints on the executive were limited, and V-Dem's LCE is similarly interpreted as indicating that legislative constraints on the executive were also limited.

The Unification of North and South Yemen as Republic of Yemen ended the existence of South Yemen as a separate nation (Clark 2010: 134-40).

For the time after 05/22/1990, see Yemen.