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Algeria MPs name speaker Abdelkader Bensalah as interim president: Report

Algeria MPs name speaker Abdelkader Bensalah as interim president: Report

Abdelkader Bensalah

Algeria MPs on Tuesday announced speaker Abdelkader Bensalah as interim president, State media reported.

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

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

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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.

(With inputs from AFP)