By AFPMore by this AuthorALGIERS,The coalition ally of Algeria's ruling party called Wednesday for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign, piling pressure on the ailing leader after the army chief demanded he be declared unfit. There have been weeks of mass protests demanding Bouteflika step down since he announced he was standing for a fifth term of office with the support of both his National Liberation Front and the RND. Ouyahia is a longtime supporter of Bouteflika and served as his prime minister three times since 2003 before being sacrificed on March 11 in a vain bid to calm the intensifying street protests. The prospect of another five years of being ruled by a powerless figleaf president sparked the eruption of mass protests on February 22 that have escalated with each successive week. Key regime figures have since broken ranks with Bouteflika one by one in a bid to retain their hold on power.

Source: Daily Nation March 27, 2019 09:56 UTC