Algeria: Parliament Pressured Into Naming New Interim President – Reports

By Staff, Agencies

On Tuesday, the Algerian parliament held an extraordinary session with lawmakers from both the lower and upper houses attending the event to confirm that the post of the country's president was vacant and it didn't breach Article 102 of the constitution.

Algeria's parliament has named upper house speaker Abdelkader Bensalah new interim president after the long-time head of state, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, stepped down in a public address last week.

In accordance with the Algerian constitution, Bensalah will serve as interim president until new national elections take place.

Following the appointment, Bensalah told parliament that the officials "must work to allow the Algerian people elect their president as soon as possible."

The move to appoint a new interim president comes after protests forced former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign last week, with the army backing the pro-democracy movement.