Now Yemen

Flag-waving: Yemeni children wear the national flag with pride around their heads and on scarves

Yemen is next of the Middle Eastern countries to have protests urging their leader to step down. Ali Abdullah Saleh has ruled Yemen for 32 years and has agreed to step down, after the end of the year and when new elections can be set up. 

After forces to Saleh opened fire on demonstrators last week, killing over 40, the protesters' ranks were bolstered by a series of high-level officials from the country's military, diplomatic corps and civil servants, including the president's former chief adviser, Ali Mohsen.

Today, President Saleh, convened a meeting of his ruling General People's Congress party to discuss the situation.


They recommended forming a new government to draft a new constitution based on a parliamentary system in line with reform offers by President Saleh.


'Members of the central committee of the People's Congress stress the quick need to form a government tasked with drafting a new constitution for the country on the basis of a parliamentary system,' a report said.

A party source said the its central committee, which contains thousands of members, had asked Saleh to stay in power until 2013, when his presidential term expires. 


One of Saleh's first concessions when protests began in February was to say he would not seek another period in office beyond that date.

In an interview aired by Al Arabiya television on Sunday, Saleh said he was prepared for a dignified departure at any stage but that opposition parties were hijacking the protests to demand he quit without organising a democratic handover.

'I could leave power ... even in a few hours, on condition of maintaining respect and prestige,' he said.

'I have to take the country to safe shores ... I'm holding on to power in order to hand it over peaceably.''


But Saleh refuses to step down immediately, saying it would draw the country into a long civil war. He has offered to resign at the end of the year after setting new elections.

Click title of post for full article.