Algeria: Interim President to stay till new elections

After the Algerian Constitutional Council last week scrapped July 4 elections, Caretaker President Abdelkader Bensalah said he would lead the country until new Presidential elections are held.

“This situation therefore forces me to continue playing the role of Head of the State till the election of a President of the Republic, and I am fully aware of the importance of this responsibility,” Bensalah said in an address to the nation Thursday.

The address came few days after the Constitutional Council cancelled July 4 elections for lack of candidacies. It invalidated the two bids it received as the candidates did not have the necessary endorsements.

Bensalah who came to power following former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation early April, was scheduled to end his 90-day stay in power right after the July election.

The North African country has plunged into a political crisis since February after Bouteflika announced his plans to run for fifth term. After Bouteflika stepped down, protesters are now demanding the removal of his entire regime.