ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian interim president Abdelkader Bensalah has set up a six-member panel to oversee a national dialogue and hold a presidential election aimed at ending months of political crisis, the presidency said on Thursday.

FILE PHOTO: Algerians protest in Algiers against the appointment of interim president Abdelkader Bensalah and demand radical changes to the political system, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down on April 2 after 20 years in power, under pressure from mass protests demanding the removal of the ruling elite and the prosecution of people suspected of corruption.

Authorities has canceled a presidential election previously planned for July 4, citing a lack of candidates. No new date has been set.

The panel, led by former parliament speaker Karim Younes, also includes two experts in law, an economic expert and two politicians.

“The dialogue will cover all aspects related to the organization of this election, its necessary conditions ... and the date of the election,” the statement quoted Bensalah as telling the panel at a meeting on Thursday.

“The dialogue must be inclusive of the whole political class, national figures and civil society.”

The army is now the main player in Algerian politics, and its chief of staff, Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, has repeatedly urged the opposition to cooperate in the holding of an election as soon as possible.

The panel will immediately start consultations with people willing to take part in the dialogue, the statement said.

“National dialogue remains the only way that can guarantee a peaceful outcome in line with what Algerians are expecting,” Younes said. “We are aware of the national impasse in which we live.”

In a bid to appease protesters, the judiciary has started corruption investigations involving several former senior officials.

Many prominent businessmen and ex-officials, including former prime ministers Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, have been placed in custody on charges including “dissipation of public funds”.

Protesters are now demanding the departure of Bensalah, a former head of the upper house of parliament, and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, who are regarded by demonstrators as part of the old guard that has governed the North African country since independence from France in 1962. </s> Algeria’s army chief called on Tuesday for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be declared unfit to govern, following weeks of mass protests urging on the ailing leader to step down.

General Ahmed Gaid Salah said in a televised speech the “way out of crisis ... is in Article 102” of the constitution, under which the president could be declared unable to perform his duties due to serious illness.

Based on Article 52 of the Algerian constitution, the chairman of the parliament's upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days.

Thousands of people rallied in Algiers on Tuesday calling on Bouteflika to quit, keeping up the pressure in weeks of protests that threaten to topple him and the elderly elite that has helped keep him in power for 20 years.

 

 Bouteflika, among the veterans of the 1954-62 war of independence against France who continue to dominate Algeria, has bowed to protesters by reversing a decision to seek another term and putting off elections that had been set for April. </s> Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will resign before his mandate expires on April 28, his office said on Monday, after a succession of loyalists deserted the ailing leader in recent days.

Bouteflika would take "steps to ensure state institutions continue to function during the transition period", the presidency said in a brief statement carried by the official APS news agency.

The 82-year-old would resign "before April 28, 2019", after "important decisions" were taken, it added, without specifying when these moves would occur.

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 Algerian leader said last month he would pull out of the race and postponed April elections, in moves that angered protesters who saw it as a ploy to extend his two decades in power.

Faced with massive street protests across the North African country, a succession of veteran Bouteflika loyalists have deserted the president in recent days.

On Tuesday armed forces chief of staff General Ahmed Gaid Salah, who was appointed by Bouteflika in 2004, said the president should either resign or be declared medically unfit to govern by parliament using its constitutional powers.

And on Wednesday, key coalition ally the National Rally for Democracy (RND) headed by recently sacked prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia called for Bouteflika's resignation "with the aim of smoothing the period of transition".

Under the constitution, once his resignation is tendered, the speaker of Algeria's upper house of parliament, Abdelkader Bensalah, would act as interim leader for up to 90 days during which a presidential election must be organised. </s> Algeria’s constitutional council has dismissed reports that it has met to decide whether President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is fit for office, state radio said on Thursday, after the army called for his removal and allies deserted the ailing leader.

The report came two days after the Algerian army’s powerful chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Gaed Salah, called on the constitutional council to rule whether the ailing 82-year-old president is fit for office.

Such a ruling would have to be ratified by a two-thirds majority in the two houses of parliament.

The remarks by Lieutenant General Salah were the first instance of direct intervention in the crisis by the military. The Algerian army had previously praised the protesters and said at the same time that it would not tolerate chaos, but it had also refrained from directly calling for Bouteflika’s removal from office.

Mass protests began across the country after Bouteflika announced his bid for a fifth term in office earlier this month. Under increasing pressure, the Algerian president ultimately dropped his bid for another term, but protests have continued, demanding that he step down.

Earlier in the day, Hundreds of protesters again took to the streets of central Algiers to demand Bouteflika’s resignation and also to criticize the country’s entire political system.

“Thieves, you have destroyed the country,” they chanted.

Under Article 102 of the constitution, the chairman of parliament’s upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days after Bouteflika’s departure.

Even if Bouteflika quits, there is no clear long-term successor.

Since suffering a stroke in 2013, the 82-year-old Bouteflika has been using a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public.

This article has been adapted from its original source </s> ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria’s 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 Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah said that statement had been issued by “unconstitutional and unauthorized 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 center, where on Feb. 22 mass protests broke out.

“Allahu Akbar (God is Great),” shouted a man. Someone else held up a banner saying: “Game over.”

Pressure had been building during the day with opposition groups demanding Bouteflika go immediately, while hundreds of students marched through the capital Algiers to demand the replacement of a political system widely seen as incapable of significant reform.

“Bouteflika’s decision (to resign by the end of his term) will change nothing,” Mustapha Bouchachi, a lawyer and protest leader, told Reuters earlier on Tuesday.

Bouteflika’s resignation will put Abdelkader Bensalah, chairman of the upper house of parliament, in charge as caretaker president for 90 days until elections are held.

Bouchachi had suggested Bouteflika’s nomination of a caretaker government was a move to perpetuate the current political system.

“What is important to us is that we do not accept the (new caretaker) government. Peaceful protests will continue.”

A veteran of Algeria’s war for independence, Bouteflika was first elected president in 1999 and established himself by ending a civil war with Islamist militants that killed an estimated 200,000 people.

But the country remains mired in corruption and, in a sign that the end for Bouteflika’s rule had been approaching, several oligarchs close to his camp were banned from traveling abroad in the past few days, part of a crackdown against his allies.

“The gang has made big money illegally taking advantage of its closeness with decision-makers,” Salah said, according to APS, referring to unnamed business people.

The protests have been driven by the country’s youth and lawyers demanding the removal of a ruling elite seen by many as out of touch with ordinary Algerians and presiding over an economy riven by cronyism. </s> ALGIERS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of chanting, banner-waving protesters marched though Algiers for the sixth Friday in succession to demand the removal of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika days after the country’s powerful military called for him to step down.

Dancing, blowing horns and shouting freedom slogans, some demonstrators also called for the entire political elite to go, saying that while they were against Bouteflika they also rejected the army’s intervention in civilian political life.

“Streets pressure will continue until the system goes,” said student Mohamed Djemai, 25, as hundreds of riot police kept an eye on the protests and helicopters flew overhead.

“We have only one word to say today, all the gang must go immediately, game over”, said Ali a merchant, as other protesters shouted “the people want the fall of the regime”.

Amid a festival atmosphere, families standing on balconies above the streets cheered the marchers, who shared out dates and water and bought ice cream from street vendors.

The army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, on Tuesday asked the constitutional council to rule whether the ailing 82-year-old president is fit for office.

The move piled pressure on Bouteflika, who has failed to placate Algerians by reversing a decision to seek a fifth term.

Key allies have deserted the head of state, who has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013 and now faces the biggest crisis of his 20-year-old rule.

Protesters have ambitious demands in a country long- dominated by veterans of the independence war against France who are seen by many Algerians as too old and out of touch.

They want to replace the establishment with a new generation of leaders capable of modernizing the oil-dependent state and giving hope to a population impatient for a better life.

The powerful military has stayed in the barracks. But Salah’s call for Bouteflika to go was a clear reminder to Algerians that the army intends to retain its vast influence in politics.

Saadia Belaid, a woman crying as she wore the flag of Algeria, said: “I cry because they kidnapped Algeria and the army’s proposal is a real travesty.”

“We want the departure of Salah,” read a banner.

Salah’s call, however, received backing from the ruling FLN party and the main trade union, signaling that Bouteflika’s time was all but up.

In the latest blow to Bouteflika, one of his few remaining influential supporters, leading businessman Ali Haddad, resigned as head of the influential FCE business forum, a resignation letter seen by Reuters showed.

Haddad, who was awarded large public works projects by the government and has investments in the media, has helped to fund Bouteflika’s election campaigns over the years.

Under the constitution, the chairman of parliament’s upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days after Bouteflika’s departure. But even if Bouteflika quits, there is no clear long-term successor. </s> Military veterans shout slogans during a protest to demand the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and changes to the political system, in Algiers, Algeria, on Thursday (Reuters photo)

ALGIERS — Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of central Algiers again on Thursday to demand the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and changes to the political system after the powerful army called for the veteran leader to be removed.

The army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Gaed Salah, on Tuesday asked the constitutional council to rule whether the ailing 82-year-old president is fit for office.

State radio said on Thursday that the council has not yet held any meeting so far to decide on Bouteflika's fate.

Salah's call received backing from the ruling FLN Party and the main trade union, signalling that Bouteflika's time was all but up after 20 years in power.

But leaders of the protest movement that has staged five weeks of peaceful demonstrations reject the army's transition plan and demand the overthrow of the entire ruling elite.

Hundreds of Algerians rallied again on Thursday to criticise not just Bouteflika but also the political system, which for decades has been built around veterans of the 1954-1962 war of independence against France, military officers and business tycoons.

"Thieves, you have destroyed the country," they chanted.

"Our battle will continue until we get rid of the system," said architect Belaid Hakimi, 36,

The General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA), long a staunch supporter of the president, has also said it supported the army call for Bouteflika to step down.

In an unusual development suggesting further disarray in Bouteflika's inner circle, the owner of a TV station close to the government, Ali Fodil, was detained by the authorities for several hours on Thursday, his Echorouk TV channel reported.

He was later released on the order of the general prosecutor. Oficials had no immediate comment on the matter.

On Wednesday evening, Echorouk broadcast a programme critical of Bouteflika's influential younger brother Said. Another TV station, Ennahar, said Fodil had been detained by intelligence personnel.

Any ruling by the constitutional council on Bouteflika's future would have to be ratified by a two-thirds majority in the two houses of Parliament.

Under the constitution, the chairman of Parliament's upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days after Bouteflika's departure.

But even if Bouteflika quits, there is no clear long-term successor.

And even if both sides dig in, no Algerian wants to risk returning to the dark days of the 1990s, when the army's cancellation of elections that Islamists were on the verge of winning triggered a civil war that killed 200,000 people. </s> The 82-year-old, who has rarely been seen in public since a 2013 stroke, has been clinging to power as pressure mounted for weeks over attempts to prolong his 20-year rule

ALGIERS, Algeria – Algeria's ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will resign before his mandate expires on April 28, his office said, after a succession of loyalists deserted him in the face of massive protests.

The 82-year-old, who has rarely been seen in public since a 2013 stroke, has been clinging to power as pressure mounted for weeks over attempts to prolong his 20-year rule.

Bouteflika will resign "before April 28, 2019," after "important decisions" are taken, the presidency said in a statement on Monday, without elaborating.

He would take "steps to ensure state institutions continue to function during the transition period," the statement carried by the official APS news agency said.

Algeria has been rocked by huge protests since the veteran president announced in February that he was seeking a fifth term in office.

Bouteflika said last month he would pull out of the race and postponed April elections, in moves that angered demonstrators, who saw it as a ploy to extend his two decades in power.

As the ire failed to subside, a number of high-profile loyalists have deserted the president.

On Tuesday, April 2, armed forces chief of staff General Ahmed Gaid Salah, who was appointed by Bouteflika in 2004, said the President should either resign or be declared medically unfit to govern by parliament using its constitutional powers.

And on Wednesday key coalition ally the National Rally for Democracy, (RND) headed by recently sacked prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia, called for Bouteflika's resignation "with the aim of smoothing the period of transition."

Under the constitution, once his resignation is tendered, the speaker of Algeria's upper house of parliament, Abdelkader Bensalah, would act as interim leader for up to 90 days during which a presidential election must be organized.

The announcement on Monday, April 1, was greeted by the beeping of some car horns in Algiers, but there was little sign of euphoria as people insisted the whole ruling system must change.

"Bouteflika quits and then what happens?" asked Sofiane, a 25-year-old doctor.

The Movement for the Society of Peace, a moderate Islamist party, said "the President's resignation... without reforms could end up conspiring against the popular movement."

"The move is just a way of keeping the political system with all the wrong turns that have led us to the current situation," it said.

As rumors swirl of frantic behind-the-scenes manoeuvring, prosecutors said they had banned corruption suspects from leaving Algeria after launching graft probes against unnamed individuals.

The authorities did not say who was being targeted by the new investigations into corruption and illegal money transfers abroad, but they followed the arrest of the president's key backer, businessman Ali Haddad.

Haddad, who Forbes magazine describes as one of Algeria's wealthiest entrepreneurs, was detained overnight Saturday to Sunday at a border post with neighbouring Tunisia, a security source said, without giving reasons for the arrest.

On Sunday, the Algerian authorities also banned all private aircraft from taking off and landing until the end of the month.

The statement on Bouteflika's impending resignation came after he named a new government made up mainly of technocrats under recently appointed premier Noureddine Bedoui.

The administration unveiled Sunday, March 31 – which was supposed to steward the country towards a transition – included Gaid Salah remaining in his position as deputy defence minister.

The appointments failed to curb calls for Bouteflika to leave, as hundreds of people in Algiers demonstrated overnight against the announcement.

Algerian media outlets were awash with speculation that the announcement of the new government would pave the way for Bouteflika's resignation.

The news website TSA described the administration as a "result of compromise between the army command and the presidency."

The El Moudjahid daily, traditionally viewed as close to power, ran a headline reading "The Beginning of the End?" and said the army's proposal for Bouteflika to go "is the only one that offers a clear and convincing way out."

The idea of Bouteflika's inner circle retaining their grip on power through a substitute leader has drawn short shrift from protesters dealing with high unemployment and economic hardships.

Young people have made up a key part of the demonstrations in a country where half the population is under 30. – Rappler.com </s> Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has changed his campaign manager for an April election in which he is expected to seek a fifth term, state news agency APS said on Saturday.

News of Abdelghani Zaalane’s appointment came a day after tens of thousands of Algerians protested against a further presidential term for the 82-year-old, who is in Switzerland for medical checks. Zaalane is a minister.

APS did give any reason for Bouteflika’s decision to replace his previous campaign manager Abdelmalek Sellal, who had said on Tuesday that the president would submit official election papers on Sunday, the deadline for candidates.

Opponents say Bouteflika, who suffered a stroke in 2013 and has been seen in public only a few times since, is no longer fit to lead the North African country, a major oil and gas producer.

But in a sign of weakness to mount a challenge against the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN), an umbrella group of opposition parties again called on Bouteflika to quit but did not nominate a single candidate.

Friday saw the largest turnout to date in Algeria’s biggest anti-government demonstrations since the Arab Spring eight years ago. Bouteflika has not directly addressed the protests.

Like most of the country’s elite made up of FLN leaders, military officers and business tycoons, Bouteflika is a veteran of Algeria’s 1954-1962 independence war against France. He has been in power since 1999.

The authorities said last week he would travel to Geneva for unspecified “routine” medical checks.

Algerian media did not report on his trip but Swiss public television said late on Saturday that Bouteflika remained at Geneva University Hospital.

A total of 183 people were injured during Friday’s protests across Algeria and one person died of a heart attack, APS said. The capital Algiers was quiet on Saturday with shops open.

Large-scale demonstrations — rarely seen in Algeria with its ubiquitous security services — against Bouteflika’s re-election move began a week ago and have grown in size. Many Algerians avoided public political activity for years, fearing trouble from the security services or disillusioned with the war veterans who have run the country since independence.

After a decade-long Islamist insurgency that Bouteflika stamped out early in his rule, Algerians have often tolerated a political system with little space for dissent as a price to pay for peace and stability.
Algerian interim president Abdelkader Bensalah appoints a six-member panel to set a presidential election date. The previous date of July 4 was cancelled due to lack of candidates amid mass protests.