 Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh insisted he will not run for presidency in September's election, despite being nominated Wednesday as candidate by the country's ruling party. "This is not a political show," Saleh said at the meeting of the General People's Congress about his announcement nearly a year ago that he would not seek a new mandate after almost three decades in power.
| That makes him pretty close to unique in that area of the world, unless he's just being falsely modest... |
The GPC meeting had been due to last just one day, but the delegates decided to reconvene on Thursday after they failed at a closed session to "persuade" Saleh to seek a new term, party sources said.
| I consider that a damned good sign... |
"I am neither ill nor incapable of shouldering the responsibility [of public office]," Saleh said. "But I ... achieved Yemen's reunification, the settlement of borders, and the introduction of comprehensive development. Now I want to preserve this achievement when I hand over power peacefully to the Yemeni people." |