ALGIERS (Halbeeg News) – Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has resigned after two-decade of leading Algeria, according to a statement he issued to the state news agency APS.
“I have taken this step because I am keen to put an end to the current bickering,” Bouteflika said.
Adding, “I have taken the suitable measures needed for the continuity of the nation’s institutions during the interim period.”
The ailing 82-year-old president has been facing mounting pressure to step down following six weeks of nationwide protests and has rarely been seen in public since a stroke in 2013.
The resignation followed a demand by Algeria’s army chief, Lt Gen Ahmed Gaed Salah for an immediate constitutional procedure to remove him from office.
Hundreds of Algerians have been flooding the streets since February after Bouteflika announced he would be standing for a fifth term in an election scheduled for April 18.
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