To date, there have been two semi-presidential casualties of the 2011 Arab Spring – Egypt and Tunisia. Yemen may be the third.

Last week, President Saleh finally accepted the Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered agreement that was designed to end the conflict in the country. The text of the agreement is available here.

Following President Saleh’s withdrawal, the agreement is starting to be implemented. The new president is the former vice-president, Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi. He has appointed an interim prime minister, Mohammed Basindwa. PM Basindwa was the choice of the opposition. President Hadi has also announced that a presidential election will be held on 21 February. The full government is now due to be formed. A committee should be appointed to draft a new constitution, which will be voted on in a referendum. There will also be legislative elections.

The question to which I do not have an answer is ‘has Yemen’s current constitution been suspended?’ I get the impression that the various reforms have been given legal effect through presidential decree. However, I do not know whether or not the decrees are officially legimitised via the existing semi-presidential constitution, or whether the constitution has been suspended and they are being legitimised through an interim arrangement. If anyone has the answer, then do please let me know.