Yemeni clerics call for presidential elections

The Associated Press
Jun. 18, 2011
SANAA, Yemen -- More than 100 influential religious clerics and tribal leaders are calling for presidential elections in Yemen.
The petition obtained Saturday demands the ouster of embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh and new elections within 60 days.
Saleh is undergoing medical treatment in Saudi Arabia after being wounded in an attack on his palace earlier this month.
A ruling party official said Friday that Saleh intends to return to Yemen within days, but the clerics and tribal leaders say he's unfit to resume his post.
Among the petitioners is the spiritual leader of the country's fundamentalist Islamic opposition party.
Yemen's president of nearly 33 years has held onto power in the face of massive protests demanding his ouster since February.