February 03, 2011|By Borzou Daragahi and Noah Browning, Los Angeles Times Large competing rallies for and against the longtime leader of Yemen unfolded Thursday without incident in one of the Arab world's poorest, most volatile and violent nations.
The Arabian Peninsula nation's opposition, inspired by the revolt in Tunisia and the ongoing uprising against President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, had called for a "day of rage" against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has held his title since 1978 and has been accused of corruption and mismanagement. Saleh and his supporters sought to upstage the protesters by holding a simultaneous counter-demonstration across town.
The two rallies drew tens of thousands of people and, unlike in Egypt or Tunisia, unfolded largely peacefully with no major arrests or clashes, according to a Yemeni official. The day's relative calm suggested that the political passions unleashed by the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia will play out in different countries in different ways.
In the North African nation of Algeria, longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced Thursday that he would soon end a 19-year state of emergency that has restricted civil liberties as activists began calling for Feb. 12 protests against his rule, according to the country's official news agency.
Saleh has scrambled to make concessions to the Yemeni opposition. On Wednesday, he vowed to not run again when his term ends in 2013 or position his son as his successor. He also promised to begin broad talks with the opposition about possible reforms.
Ahead of the anti-government protest Thursday and another on Sunday, he imposed none of the repressive moves used by Mubarak or Tunisia's former President Zine el Abidine ben Ali, such as shutting down the Internet.
"President Saleh offered bold concessions that are in the interest of the country," said Mohammad Basha, a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, in response to an e-mail inquiry. He is "promoting a peaceful political struggle and avoiding a chaotic political showdown with the opposition. People have the democratic right to assemble and voice their concerns."
The Obama administration and the European Union have praised Saleh's pledges to reform. But his opponents have reacted skeptically.
