Algeria parliament appoints Upper house chairman as interim president

Algeria’s parliament appointed on Tuesday its upper house chairman Abdelkader Bensalah as interim president following the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika after weeks of mass protests against his rule.

The move by parliament follows constitutional rules but goes against the demands of demonstrators, who have pushed for Bensalah to stand down.

Protesters, who are demanding sweeping democratic reforms, are opposed to figures like Bensalah, a close associate of Bouteflika and his inner circle who dominated Algeria for decades.

Algeria's ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on March 2 amid the protests.

The country celebrated the leader's step down by cheering and waving the national flag at Grand Post square, the epicentre of the protest against his rule in downtown Algiers.

Few days after the resignation Algerians gathered for a fresh protest demanding Bouteflika's allies to quit too.

Opponents said that Abdelkader Bensalah, Tayeb Belaiz and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui should follow the lead of Bouteflika and resign.

Upon stepping down last week, Bouteflika promised that elections would be held after 90 days as part of a transition he said would usher in a new era.

As per the Algerian constitution, Bensalah will remain, interim president, until new elections are held.

“We must work to allow the Algerian people to elect their president as soon as possible,” Bensalah told parliament.