Yemen's Saleh to hand over power next week

The former president of Yemen will hand power over to his successor in ceremonies next week, ruling party officials told local media. Yemenis voted in a one-man race for president this week, securing Abdurabu Mansur Hadi's tenure as Yemeni president. The election came through a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council that gave former President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity in exchange for an agreement to step aside. Yemen was caught up in the so-called Arab Spring last year and the deal ends Saleh's three-decade rule over the country. Sources in the ruling General People's Congress told the independent Yemen Post that Saleh will formally transfer power to Hadi next week. The report added that 11 people died in clashes tied to the election. Some opposition groups in various parts of the country boycotted the election, though the Yemen Post stated that more than half of those eligible to vote turned out for Tuesday's referendum. The United Nations opposed the immunity deal, saying anyone tied to atrocities surrounding last year's unrest should face justice. Saleh had been in the United States seeking medical treatment from wounds suffered during a June assassination attempt. The Post said Saleh returned to Yemen Wednesday.