YEMEN

Gulf Leaders Press Plan to Dump Saleh

Yemenis would vote for new president in three months.

Arab leaders in the Gulf Cooperation Council have formulated a transition plan for Yemen that would see presidential elections in just three months. Under the plan, protesters would go home in exchange for the creation of a national unity government, with the ruling party holding a 50 percent stake, the major opposition holding 40 percent of the power, and other parties taking the rest. President Ali Abdullah Saleh would begin to turn over power, and elections would be held soon after. Saleh has vacillated on when he’ll leave office, and says he’ll only turn over power to an elected successor. But he’s also in a precarious position, and depends on Gulf neighbors—especially Saudi Arabia—to keep the peace.