CAIRO (AP) — Sudan's president is rejecting calls to step down and says he is ready to hand over the power but only through elections.

The remarks by Omar al-Bashir come after three weeks of anti-government protests demanding al-Bashir go.

He told several thousands of supporters in the capital, Khartoum, on Wednesday that "there is no alternative to the national dialogue and the decision is the decision of the Sudanese people through the ballot box."

Al-Bashir's speech came hours before a planned opposition march to the national legislature in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, meant to deliver a note demanding al-Bashir quit.

Authorities have said that 19 people died in protests, while Human Rights Watch has said that at least 40 people have been killed since protests erupted Dec. 19.