Army Chief Asks for Algeria’s Bouteflika to Be Declared Unfit for Office

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—After weeks of mass protests, Algeria’s powerful army chief of staff called on March 26 for a constitutional move that would see President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika declared unfit for office, signaling an end to his 20-year rule.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, addressing army officers in a speech broadcast on state TV, called for a unified stand to defuse tensions in the sprawling North African state, a major oil, and gas exporter.