On Saturday, well-known NDC member Amal Al-BaSha threatened to withdraw from the conference along with all other female members unless women were given their due rights both at the National Dialogue Conference and in Yemen’s political sphere.

Al-Basha delivered her ultimatum directly to members of the NDC Presidency as they sat before the NDC’s full membership, for a meeting of the conference’s second plenary session.

Speaking about the final report which was being read out loud by a representative of the Development Working Group, Al-Basha said, “The report doesn’t include mention of the 30% quota for women which reached a consensus; The Al-Rashad Party is only the one who opposed this point, and they amount to only seven people,'' she said.

Frustrated that the quota was absent from the working group report, Al-Basha added, “Now we know that the Consensus Committee refused the decision to mandate 30% participation by women.”

Before long, however, the NDC Presidency adjourned the meeting early, with NDC Vice President Abdulkarim Al-Eryani stating that the Development Working Group’s final report required changes.

Speaking after the meeting’s conclusion, Al-Basha said that she and other women now demanded truly equal rights, amounting to 50% representation for both women and men in government institutions and at the NDC.