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UPDATE 1-Algerian interim leader says dialogue and elections only democratic solutions

Published 03/07/2019, 21:29
Updated 03/07/2019, 21:30
UPDATE 1-Algerian interim leader says dialogue and elections only democratic solutions

(Adds details, background)
ALGIERS, July 3 (Reuters) - Algeria needs a national
dialogue to lay the groundwork for presidential elections to end
a political crisis, interim President Abdelkader Bensalah said
on Wednesday as mass protests calling for political reforms
continued.
After 20 years in power, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika quit
on April 2 under pressure from protesters and the army, but
demonstrators are pushing for radical change.
Authorities have postponed a presidential election initially
planned for Thursday, extending a transition period led by
Bensalah as upper house head according to the constitution.
In a televised speech, Bensalah said a national dialogue
should be launched to decide on how to hold presidential
elections, without setting a date.
"The dialogue will focus on the strategic goal..the
organization of elections," he said.
The army, the country's most influential institution, would
not be part of the dialogue, said Bensalah, who has been facing
calls from protesters to resign as he was a close ally of
Bouteflika.
Protesters, especially youth, are seeking the departure of
senior figures, including politicians and businessmen, who have
governed the North African country since independence from
France in 1962.
Protesters have rejected previous offers from Bensalah for
dialogue.
Armed forces chief Lieutenant-General Ahmed Gaed Salah, who
has been managing the transition, has called on parties and
protesters to meet among themselves to discuss a way out of the
crisis.
He also called for the prosecution of officials accused of
corruption, sparking arrests of former allies of Bouteflika.

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