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Algeria protests: president to quit before end of mandate’
[PRESSTV] Apparently running out of concessions to angry protesters, Algeria’s president says he is to resign before his mandate runs out towards the end of this month.The official Algeria Press Service carried the statement issued by Abdelaziz  Bouteflika... 10th president-for-life of Algeria. He was elected in 1999 and is currently on his third or fourth term. Maybe it's the fifth.... ’s office on Monday. Bouteflika would resign "before April 28, 2019" after "important decisions" are taken, the statement read. He would take "steps to ensure state institutions continue to function during the transition period," it added. Protests erupted countrywide in February after the 82-year-old announced a decision to contest a fifth term in upcoming presidential elections. Protesters say they disapprove of the country’s old political system, which is dominated by veterans of the 1954-1962 independence war against La Belle France, who include the president himself. Opponents have also cited suspicion that the president was being kept in office to protect the grip of the military and business elite. As the protests grew, Bouteflika said he would drop his re-election bid and usher in reforms aimed at handing over the country’s affairs to the "new generation." Posted by: Fred 2019-04-02 |
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