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> 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> 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> Abdelaziz Bouteflika has officially notified the president of the country's Constitutional Council about the decision to end up his term as the President of the Republic.

Article 102 suggests that a president suffering from a serious long-term illness is unable to fulfill his responsibilities, so, in this case, the Constitutional Council, after verification, can ask the parliament to consider vacating the presidency.

READ MORE: Over 70 Protesters Reportedly Detained, 11 Policemen Injured in Algeria (VIDEOS)

The resignation comes amid nationwide rallies as people went out on the streets to protest against Bouteflika's intention to run for the fifth term in the upcoming presidential election. Reacting on the protests, Bouteflika said that he would not run for a new term and postponed the election, but a new date has not been set yet. </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> Thousands of protesters gathered in central Algiers on Friday, piling pressure on President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika to resign days after the country's powerful military called for his removal.

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.

Bouteflika, facing the biggest crisis of his 20-year-old rule, has failed to placate Algerians by reversing a decision to seek a fifth term.

"Streets pressure will continue until the system goes," said student Mohamed Djemai, 25.

Protesters, who have been staging demonstrations since February 22, say they want to overthrow an entire political system and replace it with a new generation of leaders capable of modernising the oil-dependent state and giving hope to a population impatient for a better life.

Under Article 102, the Constitutional Council could determine the president is too ill to fully exercise his functions, and ask the parliament to declare him unfit. Bouteflika has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

If a two-thirds majority of the parliament's lower and upper house ratify the council's decision, the chairman of the upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days.

The army chief is among the top power brokers in Algeria and his announcement could pave the way for Bouteflika's removal.

The move came days after Hocine Khaldoun, spokesman for the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN), said he will ask the party to withdraw its support for Bouteflika's proposal to hold a national conference aimed at getting the country out of its current political deadlock.

On Tuesday, thousands of people returned to the streets of Algiers calling on Bouteflika to resign, keeping up popular pressure.

Following Salah's announcement, some demonstrators expressed scepticism about the army chief's plan.

Assyl Moulessehoul, a 24-year-old language student in Tlemcen, said on Tuesday it appeared to be a "soft military coup."

"The army should not interfere in politics and should stay away from the ongoing political crisis. What we want is the regime to move from a military to a civilian rule," he had told Al Jazeera. </s> Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the target of intense and prolonged protests, will step down before April 28, state media report, citing a message sent from the president's office.

The 82-year-old leader had said he planned to run for a fifth term — angering thousands of people who churned in Algeria's streets — before reversing that decision. But when he announced he had changed his mind, Bouteflika also delayed an election that had been set for this month, stoking fears that he indeed would cling to power.

Now, Bouteflika's office says, the government will enter a new "transition" phase, the Algeria Press Service reports. News of Bouteflika's plan to leave office comes a day after he appointed a new government of 27 ministers, headed by Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui.

The state-run agency quotes a "communiqué of the presidency" saying:

"The appointment of the new government on March 31st 2019 by his Excellency Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the Republic will be followed by important decisions he would take in accordance with the Constitutional Provisions, in order to ensure the continuity of the functioning of the State institutions during the transition period which will start on the date of the announcement of the resignation.

"The resignation of the president of the Republic would occur before 28 April 2019, the date marking the term expiry."

The seismic shifts emanating from Bouteflika's office over the past month have prompted critics to question the legality of the president's decision to unilaterally postpone national elections.

Bouteflika has been in power since 1999 but has been largely absent from the public eye after suffering a stroke in 2013. Rather than attending public events, the president was often represented at government events by only a framed portrait of him.

Critics also have have accused members of Bouteflika's party and the military of using the president as a figurehead to maintain their grip on power. Bouteflika's party, the National Liberation Front, has dominated Algeria's politics since the country gained independence from France in 1962.

When Bouteflika bowed to protests last month and revoked his candidacy, the move was met with muted celebrations among opposition parties — particularly because he postponed a presidential election that had been slated for April 18. His pledge also stopped short of meeting protesters' demands that he leave office immediately. Demonstrators have accused Bouteflika of leading an unresponsive government that allows corruption to prosper while the national economy stagnates.

Last month, as the elderly leader laid his plans to exit the presidency, he also announced a national conference that would review possible reforms for Algeria's political system. That conference will produce a draft constitution subject to a popular referendum, he said, adding that the body should "strive" to complete its work by the end of the year. </s> ALGIERS, March 11 (Reuters) - Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will not run for a fifth term, the presidency said on Monday after weeks of protests calling for the ailing leader to step down.

The presidency also announced the postponement of a presidential election which had been planned for April.

A government reshuffle would take place soon, the presidency said in a statement.

Tens of thousands of people from all social classes have been demonstrating almost daily against Bouteflika's decision to stand in the election, rejecting a stale political system dominated by veterans of an independence war against France that ended in 1962. Bouteflika has ruled for 20 years. (Reporting by Lamine Chkhi; Writing by Michael Georgy)
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.