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End of Bensalah’s interim presidency

July 10, 2019 at 12:40 am

Algeria’s Abdelkader Bensalah attends the opening session of the 30th Arab League Summit in Tunis, Tunisia on 31 March 2019 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency]

Abdelkader Bensalah’s interim term during the transitional period, expired yesterday, according to the Algerian constitution which stipulates he remain in power 90 days.

Bensalah was appointed interim president of Algeria by the two chambers of parliament, which met on 9 April, a week after Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned. He was expected to oversee the country before presidential elections were held following the of Bouteflika’s 30-year rule. It is not yet clear how long Bensalah will remain in power now his term has ended.

Algerians rejected holding elections on 4 July, as was planned, demanding Bensalah step down before elections are held.

After Bouteflika resigned following six weeks of popular protests, demonstrators, who demanded sweeping democratic reforms, opposed Bensalah’s appointment as interim head citing his close association with the old guard who dominated Algeria for decades.

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