Algeria's army chief called Tuesday for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be declared unfit to govern, following weeks of mass protests demanding the ailing leader step down.

The move would potentially clear the way for elections to be organised in the coming months unless the president recovers.

"It is necessary, even imperative, to adopt a solution to get out of the crisis which responds to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people, and which guarantees the respect of the provisions of the constitution and safeguards the sovereignty of the state," General Ahmed Gaid Salah said in a televised speech.

The armed forces chief of staff, considered loyal to Bouteflika, added that the solution "is in article 102" of the constitution, under which parliament could declare the president unable to perform his duties due to serious illness.

The 82-year-old leader uses a wheelchair and has rarely appeared in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

Bouteflika said last month he would run for a fifth term in office, despite concerns about his ability to rule, triggering a wave of protests that brought hundreds of thousands into the streets.

He later promised not to stand for another term but also postponed the elections, angering protesters who saw the move as a ploy to stay in power.

The army chief's call was welcomed with car horns honking in Algiers.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

SAfrica's Naspers to list internet assets in Europe
Johannesburg (AFP) March 25, 2019
South African conglomerate Naspers, the continent's biggest media company, said Monday that it will spin off online assets into a new company with a primary listing in Amsterdam, creating Europe's biggest listed consumer internet company. The subsidiary, called NewCo, will group all of Naspers' internet investments outside of its home market, including stakes in Chinese giant Tencent, mail.ru, OLX and Avito, it said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal put the value of the 31-percent Tencent ... read more