ALGIERS (Halbeeg News)-Algerian President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika said he will not seek a fifth term in office after postponing 18th April presidential elections in the country.
No new date was set for the crucial election.
President Bouteflika’s candidacy had provoked mass protests across Algeria over the past few weeks.
A cabinet reshuffle will happen soon, a statement in Mr. Bouteflika’s name confirmed.
He had pledged last week that he would step down early if re-elected – but the guarantee failed to placate the thousands of demonstrators in the capital, Algiers and other major cities in the oil-rich North African state.
Bouteflika was in power for 20 years but has been rarely seen in public since he suffered a stroke in 2013.
Meanwhile, Algeria’s Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia announced his resignation and was replaced by Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui, who has been tasked with forming a new government, the official APS news agency reported.
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