Algeria’s ruling NLF party freezes parliament activity

Algeria’s ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) has frozen its parliament activity until Speaker Mouad Bouchareb steps down.

“Due to the intransigence of Mouad Bouchareb in responding to the demand to resign and ignoring the leadership’s instructions, it was agreed to suspend all the activities of the parliamentary group until he withdrew from office,” the parliamentary group said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

On Monday, the FLN party leadership and the public gave Bouchareb one day to resign from the presidency of the National People’s Assembly as part of calls on all symbols of ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s regime to leave power.

Algeria’s long-serving president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, resigned early last month following several weeks of nationwide popular protests against his 20-year rule.

Abdelkader Bensalah, a former speaker of parliament, is currently serving as interim president for a 90-day transitional period overseen by the army. But demonstrators have remained in the streets, demanding the departure of all Bouteflika-era officials, including Bensalah.

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