According to the constitution, the parliament comprises 301 directly and freely elected members through secret balloting. Every Yemeni citizen above 18 years of age has the right to vote. Citizens who are 25 years old and above also have the right to nominate themselves as candidates for parliamentary elections . A parliamentary term lasts for four years. It also has the authority to suggest new bills of law as has the government.
Parliament is entitled to discuss, ratify, reject or amend any of the laws under discussion.
Members of parliament have the right to grant parliamentary confidence to the government after reviewing its programmes. Questioning the prime minister or any of his ministers and withdrawing confidence are also some of the important parliamentary privileges. The constitution has authorized parliament to endorse the state s budget after discussing it. It is also entitled to issue laws to regulate the disbursement of the budget funds and the levying of taxes and fees. The ratification of the state s budget final accounts is also entrusted to parliament.