ISLAH PARTY

Yemeni political party.

The Islah Party (or Reform Grouping) was formed in 1990, soon after the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and the Yemen Arab Republic united to form the Republic of Yemen (ROY). Although widely characterized as Islamist, Islah is actually a coalition of the Hashid Tribal Confederation, the Muslim Brotherhood, some prominent businesspeople, and a few other small groups; among the latter are militant Islamists, some allegedly with connections with al-Qaʿida. In April 1993 the party won the second-largest bloc in the ROY's first democratic parliamentary elections, gaining about half the seats won by the General People's Congress (GPC) but several more than those won by the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), the two parties that unified Yemen in 1990 and then shared power from 1990 to 1993. Although Islah then joined with the GPC and the YSP to form a grand coalition, the party nevertheless remained marginalized until 1994, when civil war brought about the demise of the GPC–YSP partnership and the exile of most YSP leaders. After the war, a new government was formed by the GPC and Islah, providing the latter with key cabinet posts and increased political strength. After the 1997 elections, in which it made a slightly poorer showing than in 1993, Islah declined an invitation to join the government and went into the opposition; after the 2003 elections, it continued to play the role of opposition to the GPC government. Whether in the government or in the opposition, Islah has been an important player in Yemeni politics. For one thing, there are strong tribal ties between President Ali Abdullah Salih, the head of the GPC, and Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar, the head of Islah. For another, when not in the government, Islah has often acted and been treated as if it were; and, when in the government, it has often behaved as the opposition.

see also muslim brotherhood; qaʿida, al-; yemen.

Bibliography

Carapico, Sheila. Civil Society in Yemen: The Political Economy of Activism in Modern Arabia. New York and Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Dresch, Paul. A History of Modern Yemen. New York and Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Dresh, P., and Haykel, B. "Stereotypes and Political Styles: Islamists and Tribesfolk in Yemen." International Journal of Middle East Studies 27 (November 1995): 405–431.

jillian schwedler
updated by robert d. burrowes