JNN 02 Jan 2011 : Yemen’s parliament has preliminary agreed to a controversial constitutional amendment that would allow President Ali Abdullah Saleh to rule for life.

The measure was adopted with an overwhelming majority on Saturday, with only two parliament members opposing the vote.

The parliament — dominated by Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC) party — is expected to hold a formal vote on the issue in March.

The constitutional amendment will then be submitted for a referendum, which will be held simultaneously with parliamentary polls on April 27.

If the Yemeni parliament votes in favor of the measure, leading to the cancellation of presidential term limits, Saleh could become the life-long president of the Arabian Peninsula nation.

Saturday’s parliamentary ruling has sparked an opposition protest outside the parliament, where thousands of Yemenis, among them opposition and independent MPs, staged a sit-in.

They warned that adopting the amendments would “destroy what remains of the foundations of democracy” in Yemen.

They also emphasized that the action would “pave the way for hereditary succession.”

Opponents accuse the 68-year-old president of grooming his eldest son Ahmed, who heads an elite unit of the army called the Republican Guard, to succeed him.

Some analysts say Saturday’s voting could also heighten already simmering tensions in Yemen, where the government is facing a growing Al-Qaeda threat, a Shia Houthi uprising in the north and growing calls for secession in the south.

Yemen’s Saleh has been in power for more than 32 years.

He previously served as president of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) from 1978 until 1990. After the unification of the country, he resumed his post as president.

Saleh was elected for the first time in 1999 for a term of seven years. His second term, which began in 2006, expires in 2013.

JNN 02 Jan 2011 : Yemen’s parliament has preliminary agreed to a controversial constitutional amendment that would allow President Ali Abdullah Saleh to rule for life.

The measure was adopted with an overwhelming majority on Saturday, with only two parliament members opposing the vote.

The parliament — dominated by Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC) party — is expected to hold a formal vote on the issue in March.

The constitutional amendment will then be submitted for a referendum, which will be held simultaneously with parliamentary polls on April 27.

If the Yemeni parliament votes in favor of the measure, leading to the cancellation of presidential term limits, Saleh could become the life-long president of the Arabian Peninsula nation.

Saturday’s parliamentary ruling has sparked an opposition protest outside the parliament, where thousands of Yemenis, among them opposition and independent MPs, staged a sit-in.

They warned that adopting the amendments would “destroy what remains of the foundations of democracy” in Yemen.

They also emphasized that the action would “pave the way for hereditary succession.”

Opponents accuse the 68-year-old president of grooming his eldest son Ahmed, who heads an elite unit of the army called the Republican Guard, to succeed him.

Some analysts say Saturday’s voting could also heighten already simmering tensions in Yemen, where the government is facing a growing Al-Qaeda threat, a Shia Houthi uprising in the north and growing calls for secession in the south.

Yemen’s Saleh has been in power for more than 32 years.

He previously served as president of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) from 1978 until 1990. After the unification of the country, he resumed his post as president.

Saleh was elected for the first time in 1999 for a term of seven years. His second term, which began in 2006, expires in 2013.