FILE - In this Feb.12 2009 file photo, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika waves during a rally in Algiers. Embattled Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika says he will step down before his fourth term ends on April 28. In a short statement issued on Monday April 1, 2019, the president's office said Bouteflika would take "important steps to ensure the continuity of the functioning of state institutions" during a transition period following his departure from the post he's held since 1999. (AP Photo/Sidali, File)
April 01, 2019 - 9:58 AM
ALGIERS, Algeria - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika intends to step down before his fourth term ends on April 28, according to a statement issued by the ailing and embattled leader's office Monday.
The short statement said Bouteflika would take "important steps to ensure the continuity of the functioning of state institutions" after he leaves the office he'd held since 1999.
Massive weekly protests demanding Bouteflika's departure along with his cadre of loyalists have challenged the political status quo of his long rule. The 82-year-old president has been in public rarely since he suffered a stroke in 2013.
He originally declared his candidacy for a fifth term, then withdrew and postponed the election in response to the massive protests.
The Algerian Constitution calls for the head of the upper house of parliament to act act as interim leader for a maximum of 90 days while an election is organized.
Algerian national television announced Sunday night that Bouteflika and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui had named a new government after the weeks of mass protests and political tensions in this gas-rich North African country.
The new government must stay in place during the transition period.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019