Algerian lawmakers to meet on April 9 to elect interim President

Algerian lawmakers will meet at the Parliament on April 9 to elect an interim President, days after Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down from the post owing to widespread protests which forced the ailing 82-year-old leader to concede power. "It was decided to hold a meeting of the two chambers of parliament on Tuesday (April 9) at 9:00 am (08:00 GMT)," the upper house of Algeria's Parliament said in a statement on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported quoting local media.

According to the country's constitution, the speaker of the Parliament's upper house should take the reins as the interim president. The speaker should hold the post for about 90 days, during which a presidential election should be held. Currently, 77-year-old Abdelkader Bensalah serves as the speaker of the upper house of Algerian Parliament.

On April 2, Bouteflika resigned as Algeria's president before his mandate was to end on April 28, after remaining in power for about 20 years. This came after a press statement issued by Bouteflika's office had said that the president will take steps to ensure "state institutions continue to function during the transition period", adding, his "resignation would occur before April 28, 2019".

The statement further noted that the 82-year old leader would "take important measures to ensure the continuity of the functioning of the state institutions during the period of transition." Algeria has been witnessing protests since February against Bouteflika following his announcement that he was keen on contesting for a fifth term. However, he later gave in to the protesters' demands and abandoned his re-election bid.

Bouteflika had also delayed the presidential election indefinitely, originally scheduled to take place on April 18, and stated that he would only step down after a new Constitution was passed. Protests continued over Bouteflika's continued hold of power, after which the 82-year-old ailing leader decided to step down from the post, thereby succumbing to public pressure.

Bouteflika rarely made public appearances since suffering a stroke in 2013.

(With inputs from agencies.)