Philippine President Joseph Estrada's government collapsed today but the former movie star said he would only hand over power after a snap election in May.
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Joseph Estrada
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The proposal was immediately rejected by the vice-president Ms Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Mr Estrada's constitutional successor and his bitter political rival, and spelled more political instability for the Asian archipelago in coming days.
Military commanders said they would accept orders only from Ms Arroyo and urged Mr Estrada to quit immediately.
Most of the cabinet, the entire armed forces leadership and the whole national police withdrew support during the tension-filled day, saying they could not hold office under Mr Estrada's leadership following his impeachment trial on charges of corruption.
Many of them and other senior military officers then joined some 200,000 people holding a rally at the site of the 1986 "people power" revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Before the wave of defections, protest organisers had threatened to lead the huge crowd - which continued to swell as night fell - in a march on the presidential palace.
The arrival of each senior official at the protest site was greeted with exultation, wild dancing and frenzied shouts of joy.
Mr Estrada's proposal for a snap election in May, in which he vowed not to participate, has no place in the constitution, which stipulates that a president either completes his six-year term or hands over power to the vice-president.
Mr Estrada, addressing the nation for the second time in a matter of hours, said he would ask Congress to call the snap presidential poll along with planned Congressional elections in May. He made no mention of resignation.
"I am sad that things have reached this stage. In the interests of peace I am calling on Congress to call for a snap election," he said.
"I will not participate in the snap election...and I will turn over the presidency to whoever is elected."
But a spokesman for Ms Arroyo said: "That's illegal and unconstitutional." Other opposition leaders called it a delaying tactic.
A group of opposition leaders, senior military officers and ministers who resigned from the cabinet said they would take orders only from Ms Arroyo and said Mr Estrada was isolated and had lost the moral authority to govern.
A local radio station said planes were standing by at the airport to fly Mr Estrada out of the country. But palace officials said he was still in the palace and denied rumours he had fled.
Reuters