Yemenis describe the head of the current national accord government, Mohammed Basindawa, as being "weak and honest." This characterization was made more than a year and a half after he took office, following the signing by the Yemeni political parties of the Gulf Initiative as a way out of the impasse that almost slipped into a terrifying civil war in 2011.

The exit from the specter of war did not take Yemenis to the paradise they have dreamed of. The former regime divided the government portfolios with the alliance of revolutionary forces that ran against it. The ministerial portfolios of what was supposed to be a national salvation government were distributed as shares (rewards), and contested by the same political forces in the cabinet who were brought in to fix the situation and end the conflict on the ground between partners of influence and ministerial portfolios.

The government raised the citizens’ expectations much more than they demanded at the time. Citizens only dreamed of keeping the specter of war away from their children. At the same time, the international community made promises to provide unlimited support for the process of political transition in Yemen, as a model that is expected to succeed through dialogue. This led the government to announce the largest financial budget in the history of the country. The budget includes a clear list of the expenses. However, its resources remained murky until the government announced a deficit in revenue. Thus, it was compelled to negotiate with donor institutions to receive a soft loan to fill the gap between expenditure and revenue. The government was on the verge of collapse when news was leaked about the donors stipulating that the government implement a price scale by partially eliminating subsidies for fuel derivatives. The government’s plan to implement this condition was met with angry reactions, and the opposing powers took advantage of the situation and mobilized the provoked street against it.

The average citizen counted on the new government faces representing the revolutionary forces, since most are names that have not been tainted by corruption, such as the ministers of the former ruling General People's Congress (GPC) — who are monopolizing half of the ministerial portfolios, and who are former ministers tested in more than one government. However, the disappointment came from the top levels, when the first signs of failure by ministries held by representatives of the revolutionary forces — such as the finance, electricity, interior, and planning ministries — began to appear.