Yemen's Saleh to attend inauguration of new president.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president for 33 years, will attend the inauguration of his elected successor Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi, a close aide said in remarks published on Friday.

"For sure, he will attend the inauguration ceremony because the whole idea is to ensure a peaceful and democratic transfer of power," Saleh's press secretary Ahmed Abdullah told the London-based Asharq Al Awsat.

The ceremony is expected to be held next week in the Yemeni capital of Saleh, according to Yemeni sources.

Saleh signed a United Nations-sponsored deal in November whereby he agreed to relinquish power to his deputy Hadi in exchange for immunity from prosecution, DPA reported.

The deal followed months of violence as Saleh's regime cracked down on demonstrators calling for his ouster.

Saleh has left the United States after brief medical treatment and is returning to Yemen, his aide told the paper.

Hadi on Tuesday stood as the sole candidate in early presidential elections, in which around 60 per cent of the country's 10 million registered voters reportedly cast their ballots.

The final result is to be announced later Friday, according to the head of the higher election commission.