Algeria’s embattled Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign before April 28
The announcement caps a day of tumult in the oil exporter, with authorities moving against several influential businessmen
Cairo — Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said on Monday he would step down before his fourth term officially expires on April 28, bowing to weeks of mass protests that had threatened to tip the Opec exporter into turmoil. Citing a statement from the presidency, the official APS news agency said that the transitional period would begin with the departure of the ailing leader, who would take “important steps to ensure continuity in the functioning of state institutions” during those changes. The announcement comes as Bouteflika faces hundreds of thousands of demonstrators demanding he end his 20-year rule over the North African country. Protesters had been joined in recent weeks by unions and political parties. The tide turned against Bouteflika last week when his long-time ally, army chief of staff Ahmed Gaid Salah, said it was time to invoke a constitutional article that could see the 82-year-old declared unfit for office. Compromise agreement to hold power “This looks like i...
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