Algerian leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika quits after mass protests
Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation puts Abdelkader Bensalah, chairman of the upper house of parliament, in charge for 90 days
Algiers — Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday, succumbing to a groundswell of public pressure after weeks of mass protests against his 20-year rule. The ailing, 82-year-old leader announced he was standing down in a statement carried by state news agency APS, shortly after the army chief of staff demanded immediate action to remove him from office. On Monday Bouteflika, in poor health and rarely seen in public since he suffered a stroke in 2013, had said he would quit before the end of his term on April 28. But chief of staff Lt-Gen Ahmed Gaed Salah said that statement had been issued by “unconstitutional and unauthorised parties,” APS said. “There is no more room to waste time ... We decided clearly to stand with the people so all their demands get fulfilled,” Salah said after a meeting with senior officers. Hundreds of Algerians took to the streets of the capital after Bouteflika’s resignation, waving Algerian flags or driving in convoys through the city ce...
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