Another reorganization in 1978 after Yemen Socialist Party foundation in October made the head of state's title Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council.

قحطان محمد الشعبي (1920–1981)[1] [1] [2] [3] The Presidential Council of Democratic Yemen was established as part of the reforms made during the "Corrective Move" which began on 22 June 1990, in which Qahtan al-Shaabi got overthrown by the left wing of the National Liberation Front (NLF).

The council's membership was based primarily on regional influence within the National Liberation Front, rather than military power, as in the Yemen Arab Republic up north.

[4] The council's structure, with equal power for all members, resulted in a de facto triple presidency shared by Salmin, Ismail, and Ali Nasser.

While Rubai relied on his regional base and the loyalty of the army, Ismail's influence stemmed from his role as the party's ideological leader and his own "Popular Militia".