Algerian army chief repeats call to declare president unfit for office

Algeria's army chief renewed a call for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be declared unfit for Office and told opponents not to seek to undermine the military, after weeks of protests demanding an end to the ailing leader's 20-year rule.

Bouteflika, 82, who has rarely been seen in public in recent years, has faced mass demonstrations for more than a month. His announcement that he would not seek a fifth term but that he would not quit immediately has failed to assuage protesters.

To break the stalemate, Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah for the constitutional council to declare Bouteflika unfit for Office, a move provided for under article 102 of the charter.

File photo: Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika(C) and Chief of Staff of the People's National Army, Ahmed Gaid Salah(R) attend an event in Algiers, Algeria, June 27, 2012. /VCG Photo

Salah said in a statement issued by the Defense Ministry on Saturday that most people supported the army's plan but some were resisting, without naming those opposed to the move.

He said these opponents had met on Saturday to start a media campaign against the army claiming people were against Salah's proposals.

He said trying to undermine the military, a revered institution in Algeria whose support has long been seen as vital to keeping Bouteflika and the ruling elite in power, was a “red line” that should not be crossed. He did not elaborate.

Thousands of students, doctors and civil servants stage a protest to demand President Abdelaziz Bouteflika step down from power, in front of Central Post Office Square in Algiers, Algeria on March 19, 2019. /VCG Photo

“All that emerges from these suspicious meetings of proposals that do not conform to constitutional legitimacy or undermine the national army, which is a red line, is totally unacceptable,” he said in the statement.

Under the constitution, the chairman of parliament's upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days if Bouteflika stepped down.

(CGTN)