The country鈥檚 main opposition parties are represented by the umbrella coalition group known as the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP). In the early days of Yemen鈥檚 uprising, the JMP attempted to negotiate a deal with Saleh to step down, but it failed.
The country鈥檚 strongest opposition party is the Islah party, which began as part of the ruling coalition but broke off in 1997 and joined the opposition. It was founded by the powerful Ahmar family and holds about 20 percent of the country鈥檚 parliamentary seats. The party is made up of both Islamists and tribal leaders, who are often at odds with each other because of their divergent interests.
