Thousands Demand Ouster of Arroyo

[struggle4progress]

2005-6-11 22:52:58 CRIENGLISH.com

Thousands of protesters on Saturday demanded President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo step down during the biggest anti-government rally since allegations surfaced that she fixed last year's election and her family received gambling kickbacks.

The government has denied the allegations, saying they were part of a plot to unseat Arroyo.

Police nationwide and soldiers in the capital Manila were on full alert against a power grab in a country with a history of coup attempts.

Claims of payoffs to Arroyo's son and a brother-in-law from illegal gambling operators and an alleged wiretapped conversation between Arroyo and an election official to fix the 2004 vote, come as she battles poverty, rising prices, a fiscal deficit, corruption and the lowest popularity rating since late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. <snip>

http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/2239/2005-6-11/[e-mail]