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Yemeni president nominates two ministers amid escalating protests
(Xinhua) -- Yemeni President  President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... nominated two new ministers on Sunday amid weeks-long escalating protests demanding the immediate end of his 33-year rule. Saleh ordered Minister of Youth and Sports Hamoud Mohammed Abad to replace Minister of Religous Endowments Hamoud al-Hitar, according to an official decree posted on official Saba news agency's website on Sunday. The president also nominated Aref Awad al-Zoka as the new youth and sports minister, in a partial cabinet reshuffle. Yemen has been rattled by protests demanding political and economic reforms across the country since the beginning of this year. On Jan. 22, the president replaced Minister of Trade and Industry Yahya al-Mutawakil with Deputy Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Hisham Sharaf Abdullah, according to Saba. Posted by: Fred 2011-03-15 |
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