Salim Rubaya Ali
President of South Yemen from 1969 to 1978
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Salim Rubaya Ali (Arabic: سالِم رُبَيِّع عَلي ⓘ;[1] 17 June 1934 – 26 June 1978[2]), commonly known by his nickname Salemin (Arabic: سالمين),[3] was a Yemeni Maoist politician and revolutionary who served as the second head of state of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) from 22 June 1969 until his execution on 26 June 1978.[4][5]
Salim Rubaya Ali | |
|---|---|
| سالِم رُبَيِّع عَلي (Arabic) | |
 Official portrait of Salemin | |
| 2nd President of South Yemen | |
| In office 22 June 1969 – 26 June 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi |
| Succeeded by | Ali Nasir Muhammad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 June 1934 |
| Died | 26 June 1978 (aged 44) |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Party | National Front |
| Occupation | Chairman of the Presidential Council |
| Nickname | Salemin |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  National Liberation Front(1963–1967)  South Yemen(1967–1978) |
| Years of service | 1963–1978 |
| Battles/wars | Aden Emergency Corrective Move al-Wadiah War |
Ali led the left-wing faction of the National Front for the Liberation of South Yemen (NLF),[6] which forced the British to withdraw from southern Yemen on 29 November 1967. Ali's radical Marxist faction gained dominance over the more moderate President Qahtan al-Shaabi's elements, allowing Rubaya Ali to seize power; he retained the title of Chairman of the Presidential Council throughout his term, even as the NLF changed the name of the country from the People's Republic of South Yemen to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in 1970. [citation needed]
Rubaya Ali's National Front joined with other parties in 1975, creating the United Political Organisation NF (التنظيم السياسي الموحد الجبهة القومية), all rival parties having been outlawed earlier. He appointed Muhammad Ali Haitham as his Prime Minister when he became chairman. Haitham served until August 1971, when he was replaced by Ali Nasir Muhammad. He opposed the idea of the Yemeni Socialist Party's (YSP) which Abdul Fattah Ismail would later found after his assumption of power. On 26 June 1978, the collective leadership of the YSP led by Abdul Fattah Ismail overthrew and executed Rubaya Ali.[7]
