SANAA
Yemen's parliament postponed a session, originally scheduled for Sunday to consider the resignation of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, to a date that is yet to be decided, according to the state-run news agency, which is currently under the control of the Shiite Houthi movement.
"The leadership of the House of Representatives has decided to postpone the emergency session scheduled for Sunday to a date to be determined later, in order to inform all members to attend," Yemen's state-run news agency Saba said.
The purpose of Sunday's session was to consider the resignation Hadi tendered on Thursday following the resignation of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and his government in the wake of rising clashes with Houthis and the latter's takeover of government and military buildings.
Fouad Wakid, who heads the southern parliamentary bloc, had told The Anadolu Agency that his bloc has "decided suspend their attendance in light of the recent developments; the resignation of the president and government, as well as the abduction of Hadi's chief of staff Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak by Houthis."
"These developments reinforced the bloc's position regarding the suspension, and we will not be attending Sunday's session to consider the resignation of president Hadi," Wakid said.
Parliamentary sources who declined to be named told AA that the postponement of the session is intended to make room for further negotiations among all factions to reach a political solution.
An initiative led by the Yemeni Socialist Party and UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar will try to convince Hadi to rescind his resignation and begin the implementation of an agreement that was signed with the Houthis last September, the sources said.
A second initiative led by the Houthis suggests forming a presidential council, a proposition opposed by the General People's Congress that is led by ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the sources said.
Given that his party enjoys a parliamentary majority, Saleh is in favor of having Hadi's resignation go through parliament in order to accept it and then appoint the assembly's speaker and leading party member Yahya al-Raie in his stead, the source added.
The Houthis emerged as a formidable political and military force in Yemen when they assumed control of capital Sanaa in September of 2014 before moving on to establish control over other parts of Yemen.
Over the past few days, Sanaa has been rocked by deadly clashes between Houthi militants and presidential guard units amid an apparent push by the former to consolidate control over the country.
The rise of the Houthis has pitted the Shiite group against local Sunni tribes and Al-Qaeda, the latter of which is said to remain active in Yemen.
Yemen has remained in the throes of turmoil since Saleh stepped down in 2012 under pressure from a months-long popular uprising against his 33-year rule.
