By Emma Biedrzycki
Populist protests in Yemen have been occurring for the last few years due the unapproved presidency of Ali Abdullah Saleh. The protesters question whether president Ali Abdullah Saleh will remain in office or resign early. Saleh has been the president for 33 years and has previously ruled the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) before the country was unified. He currently rules the entire country and many wish for his presidency to end. Primary reasons why Yemeni citizens do not approve of Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule is due to the lack of democratic reform, widespread governmental corruption and human rights abuse. In the past year many non violent demonstrators have been killed and attacked by military and governmental forces. Much of the conflict began in February 2011when a major national uprising occurred calling for an end to Ali Abdullah Saleh presidency. The response revolved around Saleh announcing he would not seek re-election in 2013 but continue to serve out the rest of his term. This further lead eleven members of Saleh's party to resign and many protesters to continue rebellion.
I am personally not surprised upon discovering this recent information on President Saleh and the Yemeni protests. Yemen is not the only country experiencing massive struggle against poor leadership and corrupt government. Many Arab countries are experiencing similar protests and rebellion however Yemen is interpreted as the worst. BBC World news stated Yemen's history of extreme impoverishment just adds to the increasing turmoil with both the al-Queda involvement and separatist challenges to governmental authority.
In most recent news January 2012, President Saleh was visiting the United States for medical treatment due to current assassination attempts. The protests and fight for democratic leadership continues.
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