The year-long political crisis in Yemen spawned a fresh burst of political activism across the country, as officials have registered a number of new political parties that aim to develop democratic practices and enhance freedoms.

Mohamed al-Amari, secretary of the Committee for the Affairs of Parties and Political Organisations for the House of Representatives and the Shura Council, said that nine new political parties have been announced.

"The law and the Constitution guarantee the right of Yemenis to establish political parties. That was true before the political crisis in Yemen in 2011 and is true after it," he told Al-Shorfa.

He added that the recent crisis in Yemen created a social impetus for new leaders to enter the political arena through parties that are based on new visions.

Among the nine new parties established are the Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Democratic Party, the Youth Justice and Development Party, the Social Peace Party, the Youth National Democratic Development Party, the Freedom and Justice Party, the Arab Spring Party, the Justice and Development Bloc, the Freedom and Development Party and the Al-Rashad Union Party.

Al-Amari said that with the new additions, the total number of registered parties in Yemen now stands at 32.

He said that while "the parties and political organisations law strictly prohibits foreign funding," it allows organisational and cultural co-operation with other parties abroad.

"These new parties seek to develop democratic life and lay the foundation of a modern Yemen, and the right do that is guaranteed to them by the framework of national principles," al-Amari said.

"The future will favour the parties that further their communities through their political, economic and cultural programmes," he said, saying their survival will hinge on the merit of their political practices. The parties' purposes are essentially political, but some also engage in social and educational activity, he said.

New political parties

Mohammed al-Bashiri, secretary-general of the Social Peace Party, told Al-Shorfa that his party "seeks peace, tranquillity and stability for the Yemeni people", adding that Yemenis "have suffered greatly from violence and terrorism".

Founded in December 2011, the Social Peace Party aims to cement greater social unity across Yemeni society, he said.

"The party's plans and programmes centre on educating the community about the importance of social peace as the underpinning of genuine development, and the importance of cohesion among the people of the country as partners in Yemen's political, economic, social and cultural development," al-Bashiri said.

Amal Lutf al-Thawr, head of the Arab Spring Party, told Al-Shorfa her party's mission is to advance Yemeni society and build a state of law and order, noting that the process of building a civil state begins with three words: justice, development and progress.

The first Yemeni woman to preside over a political party from its inception, al-Thawr said her party's "primary concerns are the youth and women".

The Arab Spring Party "carries the hopes and aspirations of the youth for the establishment of a modern civil state on the basis of fairness and equal citizenship", she said, adding that it "seeks to highlight the role and contributions of women alongside their fellow [countrymen]".

She told Al-Shorfa, "The youth took to the squares to protest corruption and bring about comprehensive change, since the Arab Spring is a wave of comprehensive change culminating in [the creation of] a modern state."

Youth revolution provides impetus

Political analyst Mohammed al-Ghabri said the number of new political parties is unprecedented.

"The establishment of new parties is guaranteed by the law and the Constitution, but it was the youth revolution that provided the impetus for the founding of such a large number of parties in record time," he said.

"Yemen has seen nine new political parties announce their founding within less than a year, compared to the 23 parties that were founded in the span of 22 years since the Republic of Yemen was established in 1990," al-Ghabri said, adding that some new parties were not approved by the parties and political organisations committee.

The law states that a political party becomes legal 45 days after the announcement of its founding if the committee fails to find any objections.