Qahtan al-Shaabi
Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi | |
|---|---|
| قحطان محمد الشعبي | |
Al-Shaabi in the 1960s | |
| 1st President of South Yemen | |
| In office 30 November 1967 – 22 June 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Salim Rubaya Ali |
| Secretary-General of the National Liberation Front | |
| In office 19 August 1963 – 22 June 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Fattah Ismail |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1920 Lahij, Sultanate of Lahej, Aden Protectorate |
| Died | 7 July 1981 (aged 61) |
| Party | National Liberation Front |
| Spouse | Zainab al-Shaabi |
| Relations | Sa'id al-Shaabi (brother) Maryam al-Shaabi (sister) Sheik Abd al-Latif Abd al-Qawi al-Shaabi (uncle) Faysal al-Shaabi (cousin and brother-in-law) |
| Children | Najib Nasser Amal Nabil |
| Parent | Muhammad Abd al-Qawi al-Shaabi |
Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi (Arabic: قحطان محمد الشعبي; 1920 – 7 July 1981) was the first President of the People's Republic of South Yemen. Al-Shaabi's National Liberation Front (NLF) political organisation wrested control of the country from the British and won political supremacy over the opposition Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) in 1967. On 30 November 1967, the Protectorate of South Arabia was declared independent as the People's Republic of South Yemen, with al-Shaabi as President. Al-Shaabi held the presidency until 22 June 1969, when a hard-line Marxist group from within his own NLF seized control. He was replaced by Salim Rubai Ali and jailed, then placed under house arrest until the 1970s, and lived quietly in Aden from his release until his death in 1981.