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Algerian President Bouteflika resigns following mbad demonstrations
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigns after weeks of mbad protests, media reports said.
Bouteflika, who has been in power for 20 years, had already abandoned his plans to run for a fifth term because of the rise of opposition to his government.
The powerful Algerian army had asked that the 82-year-old man be declared incapable of performing his task.
The sick ruler suffered a stroke six years ago and has rarely appeared in public since.
Horns were heard on the streets of the capital, Algiers, as hundreds of people celebrated the announcement.
People waved the national flags of Algeria and sang.
Selmaoui Seddik, a man, told Reuters: "God willing, we will have a 100% democratic transition, it is very important.We must eliminate all the previous regime and that is the thing the more difficult."
Mustapha Bouchachi, one of the leaders of the protest, said before the announcement that any decision to leave Mr Bouteflika would not change anything and the protests would continue.
The resignation was announced in a statement issued by the official APS news agency.
"The president of the republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, officially informed the president of the constitutional council of his decision to end his mandate as president of the republic," said the newspaper.
State television then announced that it would be done immediately.
According to the constitution, the president of the Senate should badume the interim presidency until new elections are held.
How did it happen?
The pressure had been mounting since February, when the first demonstrations were triggered by the announcement by Mr Bouteflika that he would run for a fifth term.
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across the country on March 1st. Mr. Bouteflika's promise not to fulfill his fifth term if re-elected, as well as a change of prime minister, failed to allay discontent.
The protest leaders also rejected Bouteflika 's offer this week to let him leave the end of his current term – April 28 – as too fast.
It seems that the powerful army has accepted. Its leader, General Ahmed Gaed Salah, said Tuesday earlier: "There is no more room to waste time".
Read also: the Algerian army requests the dismissal of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Source: BBC
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