ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the internal properties of the Yemeni Parliament, which are mainly measured by looking at Member of Parliament (MPs), parliamentary parties, the chamber, standing committees and constituency relations. The Yemeni Parliament's output is the sum total of the action of its members, which stems from their background and environment. The backgrounds of Yemeni Parliamentarians reveal over-representation of some social groups and under-representation of others; this is the outcome of the electoral system, the political culture and the pattern of recruitment. The patterns of recruitment and selection of MPs contribute to either widening or bridging the gap between the MPs and their party colleagues in the executive. Four characteristics are especially important in formulating the main pattern of parliamentary parties: the number of parties in the parliament, their origins, their internal unity and cohesion and the electoral system. The nature of the political system and the degree of its stability has, however, influenced the procedure and the chamber's output.
