Flag-waving Algerians celebrated the resignation of veteran President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, but vowed on Wednesday to keep protesting to demand sweeping change to the country’s political system.
The departure of Mr. Bouteflika, 82, announced on state media late on Tuesday, followed weeks of massive demonstrations that have shaken the North African nation. Car horns sounded on the streets before jubilant crowds converged in the centre of the capital Algiers to cheer his departure. Many Algerians have never known any President other than Mr. Bouteflika, who held power for two decades but was rarely seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.
Changing the ‘system’
Protesters in Algiers welcomed his departure but said they were determined to continue demonstrating, rejecting any transition that leaves power in the hands of the “system”. “I want my daughter to remember this historic day. Bouteflika’s gone, but it’s far from over,” said 35-year-old Amal, who wore a T-shirt with the slogan “I am against the system” and vowed to march again on Friday.
Algeria’s Constitutional Council said on Wednesday that it had accepted Mr. Bouteflika’s resignation and informed Parliament that his post was officially vacant.
Algeria’s Constitution says that once the President officially resigns, the Speaker of the upper house of Parliament, currently Abdelkader Bensalah, acts as interim leader for up to 90 days during which a presidential election must be organised.
Discontent, particularly among the young, turned to anger after Mr. Bouteflika announced in February that he would seek a fifth term in office in an election that had been scheduled for this month. He dropped his bid in the face of the mass protests but also postponed the vote, angering Algerians who saw the move as a ploy to stay in power.
As pressure mounted, state television announced late on Tuesday that Mr. Bouteflika had submitted his resignation to the Constitutional Council. The decision aimed “to contribute to the appeasement of the hearts and minds of my compatriots, to allow them to take Algeria towards a better future to which they legitimately aspire,” his resignation letter read. Footage showed Mr. Bouteflika handing the letter to the council’s head, Tayeb Belaiz.
The resignation came after the military demanded impeachment proceedings. Armed forces chief Ahmed Gaid Salah said the army’s “sole ambition” was to “protect the people from a handful of (other) people who have taken over the wealth of the Algerian people”.
