Yemen’s President Signs Off

Posted on Nov 23, 2011

bbc.co.uk

Yemeni President Saleh signs his resignation agreement in this still taken from the BBC’s video coverage.

After enduring a couple of unsuccessful attempts to get him to sign his power away, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh finally put pen to paper Wednesday, effectively ending his 33-year tenure after months of unrest and bloodshed in his home country. In exchange, he’ll reportedly be granted three more months as a figurehead of state as well as protection from prosecution, which doesn’t sit well with his detractors.  —KA

BBC:

Under the plan, he will transfer his powers to his deputy ahead of an early election and in return will get immunity from prosecution.

But protesters rallying in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, said they would reject any deal giving the president immunity.

The demonstrators said the Gulf initiative ignored the “blood of martyrs”, BBC Arabic correspondent Abdullah Ghorab in Sanaa reports.

A crackdown on anti-government protests, which began in February, has left hundreds of people dead and thousands wounded in Yemen.

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