Yemeni president Saleh refuses to step down

Despite the long protests, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh is still resistant to step down. This comes after accepting a plan where his resignation would keep him from being prosecuted. While other parliament parties agree with the plan, protesters want him to step down immediately.

But Saleh says protesters can’t simply take over, and power has to change hands constitutionally. He says this would involve ballot boxes, referendums, and international authorities to watch over the process. He calls the protests a coup and says their demands have been turned down because they just create chaos. He also claims Al-Qaeda has made its way into the protest camps.

With the plan Saleh accepted, the vice-president would have power a month after an agreement with other parties. Then a month later, presidential elections would take place. Protesters say they will step up their game until Saleh resigns.