Saleh quit power after about 33 years of rule during a ceremony held in the presidential palace in the capital Sana’a on Monday.
The Yemeni dictator claimed that he is handing over the “banner of the revolution, of the republic, of freedom, of security and of stability… to safe hands.”
The Sana’a ceremony comes as Yemenis still hold Saleh responsible for the killing of anti-regime protesters during the popular uprising that began in late January 2011.
The Yemeni dictator has formally stepped down, but Yemen’s Republican Guard is still led by his son, Ahmed.
The new Yemeni president was sworn in on Saturday following a single-candidate presidential election on February 21, which was supported by the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Hadi will serve for an interim two-year period as stipulated by a power transfer deal brokered by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council in April last year and signed by Saleh on November 23, 2011.
HSN/MB
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