SANA'A: Amidst reports that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh requested the postponing of the coming presidential elections, Vice-President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi, failed to present his official candidacy, raising serious question marks over the power-transfer and its success in the country. Sources close to the presidential palace told Bikyamasr.com that President Saleh was recently less than pleased with his VP's attitude, as the latter seemed more pre-occupied in effectively stripping him from his powers rather than find ways to carry on the Saleh legacy. Moreover, recent verbal clashes involving Sultan al Barakani, one of Saleh's closest aides and Hadi, led many politicians and analysts to fear that regime loyalists would attempt to cause the failure of the GCC-brokered power-transfer by any means necessary, raising the specter of assassination. Yemen's current political climate is extremely tense with the possibility of armed clashes becoming an increasingly real possibility. “Saleh has his back against the wall and he will try to sabotage the power-transfer. He is too much of a tactician to believe that his immunity will hold the test of time for him and his family. He believes that his presidency is what is protesting him, he will try everything before letting go,” said one of Hodeidah's former governors. The matter of Saleh's immunity has of late led to a new wave of protest, with Yemenis across the nation denouncing the new coalition government of helping a war criminal escape justice. In the midst of such uncertainty, VP Hadi, the consensus candidate for the presidency announced through the ruling party that he would postpone his official application, waiting for all military presence to be removed from Yemen's streets and for the immunity bill to be passed by parliament. Interestingly, the parliament postponed the passing of the law for the second time, invoking the refusal to attend of the Minister of Legal Affairs and the absence of the Justice Minister. The former official argued that his ministry had no legal jurisdiction in the matter. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/H7g8q Tags: Government, Power Transfer, President, Saleh Section: Latest News, Yemen
