Algerian Parliament declares the office of President of the Republic vacant

Algiers, Algeria (PANA) - The Algerian Parliament, meeting on Tuesday in Algiers, in its two chambers - the Council of the Nation and the National People's Congress - declared the office of the President of the Republic, vacant following the resignation of president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The Parliament also appointed the President of the Council of the Nation (Senate), Abdelkader Bensalah, to effectively assume the function of Head of State for a maximum period of 90 days, in accordance with the provisions of Article 102 of the Constitution.

Reports say that several political groups, such as the Mouvement pour la société de la paix (MSP), the Rassemblement pour la culture et la démocratie (RCD) and the Front algérien pour le développement, la liberté et la justice (FADLJ), boycotted the meeting.

The first decision that the interim president should take will be to convene the Electoral Authority to prepare for the presidential election in 90 days at most, parliamentary sources said.

-0- PANA YY/IN/JSG/MTA/VAO 9April2019