In response to weeks of ongoing protests, Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has made two major announcements where he announced a new caretaker for the country and his decision to resign on the 28th of April, before the end of his tenure.
The first announcement was made on Sunday, when the 82-year-old president announced a major cabinet reshuffle in a bid to douse heightened tensions in the country after declaring his decision to postpone the general elections indefinitely.
According to a report by the BBC, the announcement was made via the country’s official broadcast station, Ennahar TV, where Bouteflika announced that Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui will retain his position but also serve as the new head of government.
The list revealed that 21 of the country’s 27 ministers have either been replaced or have been moved to a new ministry. One of the major changes includes Mohamed Loukal’s switch from Central Bank Governor to the
Although the cabinet change was expected to quell the protests in Algeria, citizens were not particularly interested in the new proposed changes, responding with even more protests to the announcement, as they felt it was an attempt at diverting their interests.
A statement from the opposition Labor Party described Bouteflika’s new cabinet as a new face for the old government as Bouteflika still, in some ways, remains in power.
In the statement, the Labor Party went on to note that the “so-called new government” has been set up to continue “the regime and the repressive presidential system rejected by the overwhelming majority.”
Following the unsuccessful attempt to placate Algerians with his cabinet shuffle, the president, through country’s official APS news agency, finally announced that he will be stepping down from office before April 28, which marks the end of his fourth tenure.
The statement read that the president will take steps to ensure state institutions continue to function during the transitional period, and his resignation “would occur before April 28, 2019.
With over 20 years spent at the helm of affairs in Algeria, the North African leader has barely been seen in public, following a stroke he suffered in 2013.
Bouteflika previously declared his intention to contest at the polls and secure a shorter fifth term. However, this news was not well-received by the public, and this resulted in his pulling out of the race and postponing the April 18 polls indefinitely.
