Yemeni parties reject Houthi constitutional declaration

The parliamentary blocs of key political parties in Yemen on Tuesday rejected the constitutional declaration made by the Houthi group five days ago.
The Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) - a coalition of Leftist and Islamist parties - deemed the declaration a completion of a coup d'etat and backpedalling on the GCC initiative.
In a joint statement, the country's main political parties, except for the former ruling General People's Congress of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, called on the parliament speaker and the leaders of the parties represented in the parliament, to an urgent meeting to discuss the next steps vis-a-vis the Houthi group.
The statement blasted the Houthi document as an attempt to undermine the political process and the outcomes of the national dialogue initiated by the GCC initiative.
It called on the Houthis to scrap their declaration and all subsequent measures in order to prevent the country from sliding into deeper crises.
The signatories rejected the Houthis' call on MPs to join the so-called national council meant to replace the parliament.
They include the JMP coalition partners - Al-Islah, Yemeni Socialist Party and the Nasserist Unionist People's Organisation; the Independent Bloc, the Justice and Construction Bloc, and the Solidarity Bloc.
In response, the Houthi Leader Abdulmalek Al-Houthi accused the political parties of attempting to complicate the current crisis and drag the county into chaos.
He reiterated in a speech tonight that his constitutional declaration is crucial and inevitable step to fill the current political vacuum after president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and prime minister Khaled Bahhah resigned their offices.
He accused Al-Islah (reform) Party of seeking to exclude his group and tampering with the economic situation in favor of external powers.