SANA'A: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh bowed Thursday to pressure after a month of violent protests, but his pledge to devolve power to parliament was swiftly rejected as too late by the opposition. Speaking to tens of thousands of people at a stadium in the Sana'a, the veteran leader promised to hold a referendum on a new constitution – guaranteeing the independence of the parliament and judiciary – later this year. Opposition leaders promptly rejected Saleh's offer and called for mass demonstrations Friday, marking a month since the protests began. Saleh told thousands of supporters gathered at the stadium in Sana'a that a new constitution would be drafted by the end of year establishing the separation of legislative and executive powers. The president currently controls all branches of government. Saleh said he ordered the government to “fulfill the demands of the youth camping in Sana'a, Aden and Taiz and in other cities, but without sit-ins or chaos”. Shortly after Saleh finished his speech, some 4,000 people, mostly students, took to the streets and headed toward the main square in Sana'a, calling for his ouster. Saleh has ruled Yemen for 32 years. Also in the capital, some 5,000 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and medics from all over the country marched toward the Sana'a central square. Wearing their white robes, they denounced this week's shooting of anti-government protesters by troops at Sana'a University. Opposition leader Yassin Said Numan said Saleh's reform plan has come too late. “The president's initiative has been overtaken by events and facts on the ground today,” Numan said. “If it had come six months ago, the matter would be totally different.” Nevertheless, he said the opposition parties would study the proposal before sending an official reply back to Saleh. Saleh pledged in his Thursday address that Yemen would hold general elections and form a new government by early 2012. “The president's initiative is too late and constitutes the last breath of the political regime, which protesters demand an end to,” opposition spokesman Mohammad Al-Sabri said. Sheikh Hamid Al-Ahmar, a leading member of the opposition and a member of Saleh's Hashid tribe, urged the president to spare the country more bloodshed by agreeing to step down before the end of this year. In a TV interview, he said the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt “served their countries” by stepping aside and said Saleh should do the same. Al-Ahmar, a businessman who is believed to be interested in succeeding Saleh, denied he was seeking the presidency but said there was no going back now. “The youth uprising which has started will not stop,” he said.
