Algeria To Appoint Interim President

Algeria’s parliament will on Tuesday appoint an interim successor to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Member of Parliament, Abdelouahab Benzaim disclosed that “the parliament has decided to hold a meeting of the two chambers on Tuesday by 9 a.m.”

Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 82, who has been in power since 1999, announced his resignation last week Tuesday after several anti-government protests.

According to Algeria’s constitution, the speaker of the upper house of parliament, currently 77-year-old Abdelkader Bensalah, is supposed to take the presidential reins.

Bensalah is expected to serve for up to 90 days, during which a presidential election must be organised.

The communications head for the upper house of parliament, Salim Rabahi said legislators are expected to finalise the “vacancy of the post of the president … and then designate Abdelkader Bensalah as head of state.”