Algeria: President affirms move towards charter changes

ALGIERS

Amid ongoing protests against his rule, Algeria’s president on Monday reaffirmed his decision to hold a national conference meant to lead to a constitutional referendum.

In a letter reported by local media, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 82, said that Algeria is about to change its political regime and political approach with a national conference that will take “decisive decisions,” adding that it will lead to comprehensive constitutional changes that will face a referendum, local media reported.

Last week, Bouteflika postponed the April 18 presidential election and withdrew his candidacy following weeks of mass protests against his nomination for a fifth term.

Algerians staged large demonstrations in several parts of the country on Friday protesting Bouteflika postponing the elections, calling it an extension of Bouteflika’s fourth term.

Last month, Algeria’s ruling National Liberation Front nominated Bouteflika -- who has ruled Algeria since 1999 -- to run for office.

Opposition figures have repeatedly urged the elderly president, who in 2013 was treated for a blood clot in the brain, to bow out of the election.