President of South Yemen
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| President of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen | |
|---|---|
| رئيس جمهورية اليمن الديمقراطية الشعبية | |
 | |
| Residence | Al-Maashiq Palace |
| Seat | Crater, Aden Governorate |
| Appointer | General Command, Politburo, Central Committee or any party apparatus |
| Formation | 30 November 1967 |
| First holder | Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi (as President) |
| Final holder | Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas (as President) |
| Abolished | May 22, 1990 |
The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, commonly referred to as South Yemen, gained independence as the People's Republic of South Yemen on 30 November 1967. The President of the Republic served as head of state, appointing a Prime Minister to serve as head of government.
On 22 June 1969, the left wing of National Front (NF) took power following the Corrective Move, reorganizing the government. The Chairman of the Presidential Council became the head of state. This was followed closely in 1970 by the renaming of the country to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. Another reorganization in 1978, following the establishment of the Yemeni Socialist Party in October, changed the title of the head of state to Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council. This lasted until unification with the Yemen Arab Republic on 22 May 1990, when the then-Chairman became the Prime Minister of the united Yemen.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 |  |
Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi
قحطان محمد الشعبي (1920–1981)[1] |
30 November 1967 | 22 June 1969 | 1 year, 204 days | National Front |
Chairman of the Presidential Council
The Presidential Council of Democratic Yemen was established as part of the reforms made during the "Corrective Move", in which Qahtan al-Shaabi got overthrown by the left wing of the National Front (NF). Its role was to manage internal divisions within the National Front (NF), which evolved into the Yemeni Socialist Party in 1978, and maintain regional balance.[3]
The council consisted of five members: Abdul Fattah Ismail of the North, Mohammed Ali Haytham of Abyan, Mohammed Saleh al-Awlaqi of Shabwa, Ali Antar of Dhale and Salim Rubaya Ali (Salmin) of Abyan who served as president. Over the next two years, personnel changes occurred, with Ali Nasir Muhammad replacing al-Awlaqi. The council's membership was based primarily on regional influence within the National Front, rather than military power, as in the Yemen Arab Republic up north.[3]
The council's structure, with equal power for all members, resulted in a de facto triple presidency shared by Salemin, Ismail, and Ali Nasser. However, this balance did not prevent internal strife, particularly between Rubai, who favored a pro-Chinese Maoist approach, and Ismail, who advocated for a Russian Marxist model. While Rubai relied on his regional base and the loyalty of the army, Ismail's influence stemmed from his role as the party's ideological leader and his own "Popular Militia". Ali Nasser acted as a mediator between the two. Despite the council's power-sharing arrangement, conflict persisted and ended with Salemin's execution in 1978. The council's structure mirrored the factionalism within the National Front and was never designed to be a democratic body.[3]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 2 |  |
Salim Rubaya Ali سالم ربيع علي "سالمين" (1935–1978)[4] |
23 June 1969 | 26 June 1978 | 9 years, 3 days | National Front [2] |
| 3 |  |
Ali Nasir Muhammad علي ناصر محمد الحسني (1939–)[5] |
26 June 1978 | 21 December 1978 | 184 days | National Front [2] |
| (3) | 21 December 1978 | 27 December 1978 | Yemeni Socialist Party [6] | |||
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