ALGIERS - Thousands of students, university professors and health workers rallied in Algiers on Tuesday calling for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to quit, and a new group headed by activists and opposition figures told the army not to interfere.
Bouteflika, who has ruled for 20 years, bowed to the protesters last week by announcing he would not stand for another term. But he stopped short of stepping down and said he would stay in office until a new constitution is adopted, effectively extending his present term. The 82-year-old president has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, and protesters say he is too old and frail to rule.
The protest leaders issued their statement titled “Platform of Change” late on Monday, demanding Bouteflika step down when his term ends on April 28 and the government resign immediately. Lamamra defended the government’s reform proposals. Bouteflika has agreed to hand over power to an elected president, and the opposition will be allowed to take part in the cabinet that will oversee elections, he said at a joint press conference with Lavrov.One opposition leader, Ali Benflis, urged the government not to make Algeria’s developments international.