Algerian President Steps Down Amid Protests, Army Pressure
Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika gestures while talking with Army Chief of Staff General Ahmed Gaed Salah during a graduation ceremony of the 40th class of the trainee army officers at a Military Academy in Cherchell 90 km west of Algiers, Algeria, on June 27, 2012. Ramzi Boudina/Reuters
ALGIERS, Algeria—Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down on April 2 after 20 years in office, and six weeks of massive nationwide protests aimed at pushing him and his much-criticized inner circle from power to create a real democracy in the gas-rich nation.
The announcement followed soon after a sternly-worded call from the powerful army chief for Bouteflika, 82 and ailing, to “immediately” bow out.
