Algeria's President Promises to Resign, and to Leave His Mark
- Bouteflika has faced weeks of protest to end his 20-year rule
- News comes after army chief raised prospect of impeachment
A demonstration against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algiers on March 29.
Photographer: Ryad Kramdi/AFP/Getty Images
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Battered by more than a month of protests, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said he would step down before the end of his fourth term on April 28, but suggested he would still craft the foundations of the transition to come.
The announcement on Monday appeared aimed at avoiding what could be a military-sanctioned, and embarrassing, constitutional push to have him declared unfit for office. It was also unclear whether it would do much to dampen the weeks of protests that only grew louder in the face of apparent defiance by him and his backers to demands from demonstrators.