Abdelkader Bensalah, Algeria’s interim president, has reportedly set July 4 as the date for the country’s presidential election, according to state media. The announcement comes after a wave of protests forced long-term ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign last week.
The parliament named Mr. Bensalah, speaker of the Algerian parliament’s upper house and a key ally of the former president, as interim president on Tuesday. But, the temporary appointment frustrated the protesters who hoped for more radical change. The protestors took to the streets of the capital, Algiers, demanding he steps down, reported BBC.
Mr. Bensalah’s appointment as interim president was proceeded through a joint session of the two houses of parliament, amid boycott of opposition and independent members of parliament. Soon after the appointment, the 77-year-old leader pledged to organize a fair presidential election within three months. As per Algeria’s constitution, the interim president should run the country for a transition period of 90 days ahead of electing a new president.
In the process, the interim president will now work on establishing an independent commission for monitoring the election, as he called on political parties to contribute to establishing this body to guarantee fair elections.
The upcoming July election will be the first when Bouteflika’s name will not be on the ballot in 20 years. He suffered a stroke in 2013 that limited his physical movements and made him wheelchair bound, though he still ran and won the 2014 election. He rarely made any public appearances as his health condition has continued to deteriorate.
Algeria is the third North African state to have witnessed a leadership change through mass action after Tunisia and Egypt.
Earlier on Wednesday, Algeria’s army chief, Lt.-Gen. Gaid Salah said he expected to see the judiciary investigate the former president’s entire inner circle and prosecute them for corruption.
