ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria's powerful army chief has retained his post in a newly-named government despite his call to have ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared unfit for office.

Algerian national television announced Sunday night that Bouteflika and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui named a new government after weeks of mass protests and political tensions in this gas-rich North African country.

The new government notably keeps Ahmed Gaid Salah as army chief of staff and vice defense minister.

Gaid Salah shocked the nation with his call last week for the constitutional council to set in motion a process to end Bouteflika's 20-year presidency. Gaid Salah suggested Saturday that unnamed figures were plotting against him.

Millions of Algerians have been holding weekly protests demanding Bouteflika leave office. </s> Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has led Algeria since 1999

Algeria's army chief of staff has demanded President Abdelaziz Bouteflika be declared unfit to rule after weeks of protests against him.

Speaking on television, Lt Gen Ahmed Gaed Salah said: "We must find a way out of this crisis immediately, within the constitutional framework."

The president has already agreed not to stand for a fifth term in upcoming elections, which have been delayed.

Demonstrators accuse the 82-year-old of a ploy to prolong his 20-year rule.

Talks have been set up to oversee the country's political transition, draft a new constitution and set the date for elections. But they do not yet have a date to start.

Protests against Mr Bouteflika began last month after the president, who has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, said he planned to stand for another term.

But people have continued to march even after he agreed not to stand, instead demanding immediate change.

Lt Gen Gaed Salah - who is also deputy defence minister and seen as loyal to Mr Bouteflika - has previously said the military and the people had a united vision of the future, hinting at the armed forces' support for the demonstrators.

What did the army chief say?

Lt Gen Gaed Salah said the constitution was "the only guarantee to preserve a stable political situation", and called for the use of Article 102, which allows the Constitutional Council to declare the position of president vacant if the leader is unfit to rule.

"This solution achieves consensus and must be accepted by all," he said to the applause of officers watching the speech.

Under the constitution, the head of the Senate, Abdelkhader Bansallah, would become the acting head of state until an election could be held.

Reports suggest the Constitutional Council is now holding a special meeting after the speech.

The dramatic intervention by the armed forces chief of staff is the latest development after weeks of sustained protest in Algeria.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia announced his resignation and was replaced by Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui.

A significant intervention

By Rana Jawad, BBC North Africa correspondent

The announcement by Algeria's army chief is symbolically significant. However, given the reality of President Bouteflika's health status, the constitutional impasse over an extension to his current mandate until elections are held, and the rallying calls by protestors who remain on Algeria's streets, the move is hardly unexpected.

Still, there will be questions over the army's chief's motivations. In recent years, it is the president's circle of political and army loyalists who appear to have spoken on his behalf as his absence peaked due to illness.

Lt Gen Ahmad Gaed Salah is viewed as fiercely loyal to Mr Bouteflika and a central "pillar" to the ruling powers of Algeria - so much so that on the weekend, a privately-owned local newspaper reported that he "must go" along with the president.

The country's Constitutional Council will need to back this latest call, and then ultimately it will be left to the parliament to officially decide the president's political fate.

Who is Abdelaziz Bouteflika?

A veteran of Algeria's war of independence, Mr Bouteflika's upper-class, Westernised style led him to be called "the dandy diplomat" in some quarters.

He came into office, backed by the army, after the 1990s civil war and was largely viewed as a unifier of the many factions underpinning Algerian politics.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Half of Algeria’s population is under the age of 30.

Unlike some leaders in the region, his presidency survived the protests of the Arab Spring in 2011 - until now.

He does not travel around the country or abroad, except for medical treatment.

His aides represent him at events and read his messages to the public, and the announcement that he was not standing for a fifth presidential term was read on his behalf by a newsreader on national TV.

What could happen next?

By Ahmed Rouaba, BBC Africa

The Constitutional Council must first agree to trigger Article 102 of the constitution.

Both chambers of parliament would then meet in a joint session and vote on whether the president is unfit to perform his duties. A two-thirds majority is required.

If this passes, the speaker of the upper house of parliament, the Council of the Nation, would take over the duties of the president.

The new provisional head of state would rule for 45 days with a specific mission to prepare for new presidential elections. The provisional president cannot stand in those elections. </s> Algeria's chief of staff (right) has called for Mr Bouteflika to be declared unfit to govern

The Algerian army's chief of staff has called for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be declared unfit to govern after two decades in power.

In a televised speech, General Ahmed Gaid Salah said: "It is necessary, even imperative, to adopt a solution to get out of the crisis which responds to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people, and which guarantees the respect of the provisions of the constitution and safeguards the sovereignty of the state."

The army chief is the most senior official to turn against the 82-year-old president, whose long rule has prompted weeks of mass protests in the north African nation.

A possible solution to the crisis could be found in Article 102 of Algeria's constitution, under which parliament has the power to declare the president unfit to rule due to "serious and lasting illness".

President Bouteflika suffered a stroke in April 2013, which left him in a wheelchair. The leader has often flown to Switzerland for treatment and now appears very rarely in public.

Article 102 also allows for the extension of parliamentary terms of office in exceptional circumstances.

Hasni Abidi, a Swiss-based Algerian who heads a think tank, said: "This is a default solution following the failure of the negotiations of the departure of the president. It moves away from the democratic transition and approaches a framed succession."

Last month, Mr Bouteflika said he would run for a fifth term in office, triggering protests that brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets.

After returning home from medical treatment in Switzerland, on 11 March he announced that he was no longer running for another term.

Instead, he postponed the elections that were scheduled for 18 April.

Mr Bouteflika's plan was seen as a way prolonging his current term and protests have continued since then.

Algeria's ruling coalition party has called for his resignation too, with the RND party's secretary general Ahmed Ouyahia saying it "recommends" Mr Bouteflika's resignation to facilitate the transition of power. </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> ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria's powerful army chief retained his post in a newly-named government despite his call to have ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared unfit for office.

Algerian national television announced Sunday night that Bouteflika and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui named a new government after weeks of mass protests and political tensions in this gas-rich North African country.

The new government notably keeps Ahmed Gaid Salah as army chief of staff and vice defense minister.

Gaid Salah shocked the nation with his call last week for the constitutional council to set in motion a process to end Bouteflika's 20-year presidency. Critics accused Gaid Salah of trying to orchestrate a coup, and the army chief suggested Saturday that unnamed figures were plotting against him as a result of his stand against Bouteflika's presidency.

Millions of Algerians have been holding weekly protests demanding that Bouteflika leave office along with the distrusted political elite. Algerians have barely seen their president, now 82, since a 2013 stroke.

Also Sunday, a top Algerian businessman was arrested at an Algerian border post as he was apparently trying to go to Tunisia, Algerian media reported.

Journalists at tycoon Ali Haddad's private television channel Dzair News said he was arrested overnight in Oum Tboul, close to the Tunisian border.

Haddad, long a backer of Bouteflika, resigned this week as head of Algeria's Business Forum, apparently trying to distance himself from the unpopular leader whose government has been accused of corruption.

Bouteflika withdrew from running for a new term but canceled Algeria's April 18 presidential election. Pressure has mounted for him to step down before his current term expires later this month. </s> Algeria’s army chief of staff has demanded President Abdelaziz Bouteflika be declared unfit to rule after weeks of protests against him.

“We must find a way out of this crisis immediately, within the constitutional framework,” Lt Gen Ahmed Gaed Salah said in a televised speech.

The president has already agreed not to stand for a fifth term in upcoming elections, which have been delayed. But demonstrators accused him of a ploy to prolong his 20-year rule. -BBC </s> Algerian protesters gather during a mass demonstration against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in the capital Algiers on March 29, 2019 Protest-hit Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Sunday named a new government headed by recently appointed Noureddine Bedoui, a statement from the presidency said. State television reported that armed forces chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, who has called for Bouteflika to step down, remained as deputy defence minister.

Veteran politician Ramtane Lamamra, who was appointed deputy prime minister and foreign minister on March 11, was not named in the new administration.

Ailing Bouteflika, who has rarely being seen in public since a 2013 stroke, has come under mounting pressure to quit power since his decision to seek a fifth term sparked huge demonstrations.

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

Faced with persistent public anger, a succession of veteran Bouteflika loyalists have deserted the president in recent days.

On Tuesday, chief of staff Gaid Salah, who was appointed in 2004, called for him to step down or be declared medically unfit.

The chief of staff cited Article 102 of the constitution, under which a president can be removed if found unfit to rule.

Long a faithful Bouteflika supporter, Gaid Salah said on television it was "imperative" to find a way out of the crisis "which responds to the legitimate demands" of the people in line with the constitution.

Despite the calls, huge crowds thronged the streets of Algeria's capital on Friday for a sixth successive week, saying the moves by his key allies to abandon Bouteflika were not enough. </s> Protest-hit Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Sunday named a new government headed by recently appointed Noureddine Bedoui, a statement from the presidency said.

State television reported that armed forces chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, who has called for Bouteflika to step down, remained as deputy defence minister.

Veteran politician Ramtane Lamamra, who was appointed deputy prime minister and foreign minister on March 11, was not named in the new administration.

Ailing Bouteflika, who has rarely being seen in public since a 2013 stroke, has come under mounting pressure to quit power since his decision to seek a fifth term sparked huge demonstrations.

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

Faced with persistent public anger, a succession of veteran Bouteflika loyalists have deserted the president in recent days.

On Tuesday, chief of staff Gaid Salah, who was appointed in 2004, called for him to step down or be declared medically unfit.

The chief of staff cited Article 102 of the constitution, under which a president can be removed if found unfit to rule.

Long a faithful Bouteflika supporter, Gaid Salah said on television it was "imperative" to find a way out of the crisis "which responds to the legitimate demands" of the people in line with the constitution.

Despite the calls, huge crowds thronged the streets of Algeria's capital on Friday for a sixth successive week, saying the moves by his key allies to abandon Bouteflika were not enough. </s> ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) - Algerians taking to the streets for their sixth straight Friday of protests aren't just angry at their ailing president - they want to bring down the entire political system.

Small crowds started filling the boulevards of Algiers on Friday morning, and their numbers are expected to swell after midday Muslim prayers.

The Algerian army chief called earlier this week for a constitutional process to declare President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office. Other politicians and parties backed the idea as a solution to the gas-rich country's political crisis.

But protesters see the proposal as a way for the secretive political elite to keep their grip on power and name a hand-picked successor to Bouteflika, who has been largely out of the public eye since a 2013 stroke.

Anger at the constitutional process issue is central to Friday's protest.

In this picture taken on June 27, 2012, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, left, and his Army chief of staff, Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah, review an honor guard before attending a military parade, in Cherchell near Algiers, Algeria. Algeria's powerful army chief, Ahmed Gaid Salah, insisted Wednesday that the military won't get mixed up in politics, a day after he said a constitutional process should be set in motion to declare ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul)

FILE - In this April 28, 2014 file photo, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sits in a wheelchair after taking oath as President, in Algiers. Algeria's powerful army chief said Tuesday March 26, 2019 that he wants to trigger the constitutional process that would declare President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office, after more than a month of mass protests against the ailing leader's long rule. (AP Photo/Sidali Djarboub, File)

In this picture taken on June 27, 2012, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, left, and his Army chief of staff, Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah, attend a military parade in Cherchell near Algiers, Algeria. Algeria's powerful army chief, Ahmed Gaid Salah, insisted Wednesday that the military won't get mixed up in politics, a day after he said a constitutional process should be set in motion to declare ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul)
Algeria's Chief of Staff of the People's National Army Ahmed Gaid Salah, the highest-ranked military official in the country, gives a televised address, calling on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign or be declared "unfit to serve" by the People's National Assembly.