ABSTRACT
The Yemeni Parliament was established when North Yemen and South Yemen were unified in 1990. The parliament is structurally and procedurally similar to well-established legislatures, substantially it operates in a different environment that impact on the type and output of the parliament. The real problems that threaten the parliament include poverty and mismanagement of resources. There are three factors whose impact on the parliament has been of particular importance: social structures, distribution of power and weakness of the state. The nature and structure of the ruling establishment in a traditional society and its control of the state resources has left a narrow role to be played by political parties. The high level of illiteracy and the tribally based society have contributed to limit the development of civil society. The parliament is the most vital of the political institutions that are able to provide legitimacy. The parliament in the unified Yemen has played a crucial role in legitimizing the political regime.
