Algerian President Bouteflika pulls candidacy for fifth term

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 3/11/2019, 2:16 p.m.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has announced that he will not seek a fifth term in office, after weeks of protests …
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has announced he will not run for a fifth term in office. Full Credit: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images

By Bianca Britton, CNN

(CNN) -- Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has announced that he will not seek a fifth term in office, after weeks of protests surrounding his candidacy.

The official Algeria Press Service (APS) reported that Bouteflika made the announcement in a "letter to the nation" and also postponed the April 18 elections.

The ailing 82-year-old, who has ruled the country for two decades, sparked mass protests across Algeria after he announced his candidacy for the upcoming elections. He suffered a stroke in 2013 and has rarely appeared in public since.

There are no further details on when the new election date might be.

This is a breaking news story, more details to come...

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