Protests continue as Yemen's President Saleh proposes new constitution

[News_Editor]

Protests continue as Yemen's President Saleh proposes new constitution

2011-03-10 20:27:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANAA, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Thursday announced a new political initiative in the First National Conference, which includes the preparation of a new constitution, Yemen's Saba News Agency reported.

The new constitution will be based on the separation of legislative and executive powers and will be brought to vote by the end of the year. Saleh's initiative also includes forming a committee from Parliament and Shura Councils political powers.

In addition, the initiative includes transferring the President's power to an elected parliamentary system by the end of the year. In an effort to decentralize power, Saleh also announced the shifting the local authority to full-power local ruling.

The new initiative would also establish Yemeni regions on the grounds of economic and geographical criteria and prepare a new election law that includes proportional representation in addition to forming a new government of national unity.

However, following Saleh's announcement, thousands of people took the streets and protested in Sanaa, Taiz, and Ibb, demanding Saleh, who has ruled the country for 32 years, to step down. Opposition leaders say the announcement comes to late, and they will continue to demand the end of the regime.

Yemeni protesters, mostly young, are fighting against soaring unemployment rates, poverty, widespread corruption and patronage. The demonstrations were initially inspired by the Tunisian revolt, but they gathered momentum with the success of Egypt's revolution. Protests, which began in January, have resulted in the death of almost 30 people.

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