Yemeni president says will run for presidency in 2013 election

Yemeni president says will run for presidency in 2013 election

The embattled Yemen president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has reiterated his desire run for the country’s 2013 election.

Saleh is recovering in Saudi Arabia from an assassination attempt.

In a speech made by the president, he called on the opposition, “highway robbers, opportunist” and the Yemenis to end crisis through the ballot box.

Yemeni crisis

Although the government insisted that it was only attacking outlaws and criminals, its latest crackdown on the civilians resulted to the death of 26 people.

A witness disclosed that 17 out of the 26 dead people were women and children.

It was equally reported that 24 tanks and armoured vehicles were seen entering the villages.

Reactions

Meanwhile, reactions have trailed the decision taken by the president to contest in the 2013 election.

Majority of the people hoped that President Saleh’s trip to Riyadh was permanent as his coming back will turn the country into hell.

A Yemen citizen, Ahmad, said he will never allow President Saleh to rule him or his family again.

He said that his coming back would lead to a new round of crisis that would push the whole country into a civil war.

Speaking on the same issue, the former Yemeni Ambassador, Mohammed Quabathy, said: “I think the man lives up to his fame of been a person who is dubious, untrustworthy, dishonest and unpredictable. The people are expecting him to come out and speak about agreeing to the request for transfer of power in exchange for immunity, which the people have promised him, but instead of that, he intends to spread the fire he has already burnt himself with and is now intending to burn Yemeni and perhaps even to spread the fire across the region.”

President Saleh is not only unpredictable but becoming more dangerous. Anarchy in Yemen will put Yemeni into disintegration and this at large does not only constitute a threat of stability and peace in the region but worldwide,” he added.

Quabathy said that president Saleh was out of his mind to speak about coming back to Yemen knowing full well the state of the former Egyptian president, pointing out that his intentions were telling the world that that he does not care about the citizens.

ALJAZEERAH/Onyinye