Algerian politicians urge ailing leader to resign

AOMAR OUALI
Associated Press

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — The main challenger to Algeria’s president in the last election joined a coalition of opposition figures and former ministers calling for the country’s ailing leader to step down, according to a statement published Thursday.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 77, won re-election in May to a fourth term by a landslide despite hardly appearing during the campaign. He has made almost no appearances since and is believed to be very ill.

“The unity of the opposition is a necessity for those of us trying to get this country through the crisis of regime in which it is embroiled,” said Ali Benflis, a former prime minister who ran an energetic campaign in May.

Known for a political organization that spans the country and drawing impressive crowds, Benflis’ backing the Coordination for Freedoms and Democratic Transition group will boost its legitimacy.

The Algerian state, a mixture of military men and party leaders backed by the nation’s oil wealth, has long brushed aside the concerns of the weak and divided opposition.

But with Bouteflika’s frailty, after 15 years of rule, it is clear that a new younger generation has to come to power in this oil-rich nation and key U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism.

The coalition counts among its adherents two other former prime ministers, members of a once-popular banned Islamist party and a number of prominent academics.

The group, founded before the last election, met with Benflis late Wednesday and agreed to form a committee to lay out an action plan of political activity over the next three months.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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