(CNN) Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has announced that he will not seek a fifth term in office and that the April 18 elections are postponed, after weeks of protests surrounding his candidacy. The ailing 82-year-old, who has ruled the country for two decades, sparked mass protests after he announced his candidacy for the upcoming elections. He has rarely been seen in public in recent years after suffering a stroke in 2013. "There is no place for a fifth term," Bouteflika said in a statement, according to the official Algeria Press Service (APS). Shortly after the announcement, Algerians took to the streets to celebrate the news, draping themselves in the national flag.

Source: CNN March 11, 2019 18:11 UTC