Vote marks orderly end to Saleh’s 33- year rule
SANA’A — Yemenis vote today in a presidential election that formally ends the 33- year rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who becomes the fourth Arab leader to succumb to a popular uprising, albeit on some of his terms.
As part of the Gulf- brokered accord that concludes Saleh’s reign, the vice- president for the past 18 years, Abdurabu Mansur Hadi, is running uncontested. Hadi was appointed leader after Saleh signed a power transition accord in November in return for immunity for himself and his inner circle. “The importance of the election is that it’s a symbolic turning point,” April Longley Alley, senior analyst for the Arabian Peninsula at the International Crisis Group, said in an interview. “It’s not an ideal situation, but in the current situation it’s a way to allow for a symbolic break from a past era so that there could be an opportunity to move forward.”
Hadi will lead Yemen during a twoyear transition that’s expected to end with a new parliament and constitution. Saleh may return from medical care in the U. S. after the vote to head his party, the General People’s Congress, as it prepares to contest the next presidential election, party representative Tareq al- Shami said.
“We are going to be the strongest party in Yemen and we will win with a big majority,” al- Shami said.
Saleh agreed to relinquish power in the Arab world’s poorest country after months of protests inspired by the revolts that forced out leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Gulf Cooperation Council states, led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the U. S., had sought to resolve Yemen’s conflict to reduce instability in the region.