Democracy News

Yemeni Opposition Coalition Accept GCC Deal; Protestors Reject
April 26, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly

Yemen's opposition coalition accepted a deal to remove President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power, clearing the way for the country's first political transition in its modern history. The opposition coalition has agreed to take part in a transitional government under a Gulf Cooperation Council-negotiated peace plan, which includes immunity for Saleh and his family if the embattled leader agrees to step aside in 30 days, starting from April 25.

According to BBC News, the proposed deal has the backing of the United States and neighboring countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Under the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) deal, Saleh is obligated to hand over power to his vice president after the plan is formally accepted by the leader and the umbrella group of opposition parties.

The new transition government would be obligated to pass legislation giving Saleh, his close relatives and leading members of his government immunity from prosecution before he steps down. The transitional government would also be responsible for amending the country's constitution and the planning of general elections before August 2011.

Additionally, Al Jazeera reports that a spokesman for one of the opposition coalitions stated on April 25 that his group had received several assurances in order to accept the deal. "We have given our final accord to the [Gulf] initiative after having received assurances from our brothers and American and European friends on our objections to certain clauses in the plan," Mohammed Qahtan said. He added that the Common Front, a Yemeni parliamentary opposition coalition, had notified GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani of the decision.

Ahmed Bahri, a senior opposition leader stated that, "[We] accepted the GCC proposal after a long debate from within for the sake of Yemen. It was either that or a civil war," BBC News reports.

The proposal by the GCC seems to have opened a serious rift between opposition parties and the protesters.  According to the New York Times, thousands of protesters are unconvinced by the GCC plan and have called for fresh demonstrations. Mohammed al-Sabri, spokesman of the opposition parties, criticized the acceptance of the GCC initiative. Noting that he was speaking for himself and not in his capacity as the movement's spokesman, al-Sabri stated, "The opposition has betrayed its members and the Yemen Street. How can we speak about the corruption of the government and at the same time share a national unity government with it?"

The demonstrators have long demanded that the Saleh stand trial for the deaths of more than 140 people killed during the protests and answer for alleged corruption and cronyism during his rule. According to Forbes, Awakul Karman, a senior member of the main opposition party, Islah, also rejected the proposals. "We will not accept them and will continue our protests harder," she said at Change Square near Sanaa University where thousands of protesters have camped for weeks.

For previous news on Yemen, please see:
Demonstrations Turn Violent in Yemen

Sources:
BBC News – Yemen: Opposition backs GCC plan for Saleh resignation

Forbes – Yemen opposition to approve Gulf mediation deal

New York Times – Yemen’s Opposition Accepts Deal for Transfer of Power

Al Jazeera – Yemen’s Opposition “agrees to Gulf plan”