People carry a national flag as they celebrate on the streets after Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika submitted his resignation, in Algiers, Algeria. Algeria’s ailing leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika submitted his resignation with immediate effect, state television said Tuesday, ceding power in the face of massive street protests after two decades at the helm. Bouteflika “officially advised the Constitutional Council of the end of his term of office as President of the Republic” from Tuesday, said a news ticker on the public broadcaster. Long accused of clinging to power, Bouteflika has come under mounting pressure to step down since his decision to seek a fifth term despite rarely being seen in public after suffering a stroke in 2013.
The 82-year-old, who uses a wheelchair, said last month he would pull out of the bid for another term, and on Monday his office said he would resign before his mandate expires at the end of the month. The moves failed to satisfy protesters who feared a ploy to extend his rule and the armed forces chief called for him to leave power. His resignation was also reported by the official APS news agency, which said Bouteflika had “formally notified the head of the Constitutional Council of his decision to end his term of office.” His departure comes after 20 years of rule, with the veteran of the independence struggle finally losing his grip after weeks of massive street protests and the loss of support from key loyalists. Car horns sounded in the street as small crowds of people began gathering to celebrate in Algiers. The United States said the future of Algeria was now up to its people. “Questions about how to navigate this transition in Algeria, that is for the Algerian people to decide,” State Department spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters. Algeria’s constitution says that once the president officially resigns the speaker of the upper house of parliament would act as interim leader for up to 90 days during which a presidential election must be organized.
0 Comments