A new beginning for Yemen—sort of
Yemenis have officially elected former Vice-President Abdrabu Mansour Hadi as their country’s new president. Going into Tuesday’s strange election, there was little doubt about the outcome; Hadi was the only candidate. Hadi had been acting head of state since last November, when long-time president Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down following months of popular protests to oust him. Hadi will serve for a two-year term. Though Yemen’s uprising was successfully put down last year with the promise of this presidential election, there is little hope that things will change dramatically now that one of Saleh’s closest aides is officially taking over. Meanwhile, Saleh remains in the United States, where he has been getting medical attention following an assassination attempt last June.