Sanaa (AsiaNews / Agencies) - This morning, over 20 thousand people took to the streets of Sanaa shouting slogans against President Ali Abdallah Saleh, in power for 32 years, despite the leaders promise not to stand for election in 2013. Other demonstrations are scheduled in the coming hours in major cities across the country. Wael Mansour, one of the organizers of the protests, said that the Yemenis are dissatisfied with the promises made by Saleh. "Today - he says - we want to renew pressure on the government, which must make further concessions to the opposition."
In recent days, Saleh called on the opposition to halt demonstrations and protests and to resume dialogue with the ruling General People's Congress (GPC) party. To appease the tensions that began last Jan. 27, the president promised a fund of 24 million be allocated to the increase of wages and economic aid, the creation of a fund for the employment of graduates, the extending of government subsidies to 500 thousand people and a reduction in income tax.
In Yemen, the only republic of the Arabian peninsula, about a third of the population lives below the poverty line. According to analysts, the situation of instability and the emergence of Islamic opposition parties could create a major crisis in the country. For years the government, with the help of the western states, has been dedicated to the fight against al-Qaeda, in stifling the separatists in the south and maintaining peace with Shiite rebels in the north.