President Saleh has left Yemen and is currently being treated in a Saudi hospital. Many observers feel that this is the end for Salih but all that is certain is that a power vacuum remains. The Vice-President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has become acting President. In the tradition of Arab vice-presidents, Hadi was chosen for his weakness and lack of capacity/willingness to built his own power base. This has been confirmed by the fact that Hadi is not operating from the Presidential Palace - Saleh's son Ahmad who is the Commander of the Republican Guard has moved in. Meanwhile:
The official opposition meanwhile is hurrying to throw its support behind Hadi, calling for him to be named acting president, in an effort to start the clock on the 60 days and as a first step towards new elections. It seems the opposition is hoping that this can short circuit any potential return by Salih from Riyadh, leaving him with a fait acomplii - we'll see.However, the government has rejected the possibility of talks inspiring thousands of demonstrators to protest outside Hadi's residence demanding a transitional council and calling for a million-man march to keep Salih in Saudi Arabia. Violent clashes continue throughout the country, leading some observers to believe that a civil war has already begun.
