Following the announcement by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika that he will be without a fifth term, many people have once again taken to the streets. Motorists held horn concerts, demonstrators waved Algerian national flags.
In the euphoria but also mixed critical tones. Opposition politicians and activists warned against exaggerated joy and criticized that Bouteflika had by decree extended his term indefinitely.
On Monday evening Bouteflika had announced surprisingly to give up another term. The presidential election scheduled for April 18 will be postponed, a statement by the president said. The announcement that they would vote again had led to the biggest mass protests in Algeria in more than 20 years.
By the evening Bouteflika had by decree, relieved the electoral committee of its duties. A national conference should discuss possible reforms, draw up a new constitution and set a date for the next presidential election.
In addition, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia submitted his resignation. The former Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui was appointed by the President as the new Prime Minister and charged with the formation of a new government.
There had been fierce protests against Bouteflika in the past three weeks after announcing its intention to run for a fifth term. Bouteflika had only returned from a prolonged hospital stay in Switzerland to Algeria on Sunday. The 82-year-old is injured and sits in a wheelchair since a stroke in 2013. He hardly appeared in public anymore.
