Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has announced his resignation after 20 years in office. The injured 82-year-old apparently responded to weeks of protests against his whereabouts in office.
Bouteflika said he would resign before the end of his regular term on April 28. Until then he will take measures to ensure the operation of the state authorities during the transitional phase, according to a statement published by the state news agency APS statement of the Presidential Office.
New government used
Only yesterday Bouteflika had set up a new government. This step would be followed by other important decisions, the statement said.
At the end of last week, hundreds of thousands of people in the capital Algiers again took to the streets for a retreat by the 82-year-old. They also demanded the overthrow of the entire political elite.
Bouteflika has governed the North African country for 20 years. Since a stroke in 2013, however, he has largely withdrawn from the public. Critics assume that he no longer holds the strings in the power apparatus.
