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Yemeni president vows not to quit

: Print E-mail Xinhua, February 22, 2011

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Anti-government protests rattled Yemen's major provinces on Monday, leaving dozens injured as tensions soared after President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced that he would not step down until rivals defeated him through ballots.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh speaks during a news conference at the presidential palace in Sanaa, capital of Yemen, Feb. 21, 2011. Saleh announced during the news conference that he would not step down until rivals defeated him through ballots. [Yin Ke/Xinhua]

At least five protesters were injured in clashes with police when they were along with other anti-government protesters burning a building of the local council office on Monday's evening in southern province of Lahj, a local official told Xinhua.

He said that "five protesters were wounded by random police gunshots during fierce clashes and were rushed to the hospital after 500 demonstrators stormed into the building of local council office and set it on fire in Lahj's capital city Al-Houta."

The latest development came following a speech by Saleh, in which he announced earlier Monday that he will not quit power until others defeated him through ballots.

"Whoever wants to gain the power, he must hold it by winning elections, whether in parliamentary or presidential elections," the embattled president told reporters at a press conference in his presidential palace in the capital of Sanaa.

Saleh's new decision came amid escalating demands by the opposition coalition that apparently press the president to make more concessions.

"We had offered packages of concessions to the opposition parties to meet their demands, the opposition coalition has raised the level of their demands, some of which were not legitimate," he added.

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