Algeria's Bouteflika to resign 'before mandate ends'

ALGIERS, April 2 (AFP): Algeria's ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will resign before his mandate expires on April 28, his office said, after a succession of loyalists deserted him in the face of massive protests.

The 82-year-old, who has rarely been seen in public since a 2013 stroke, has been clinging to power as pressure mounted for weeks over attempts to prolong his 20-year rule.

Bouteflika will resign "before April 28, 2019", after "important decisions" are taken, the presidency said in a statement on Monday, without elaborating. He would take "steps to ensure state institutions continue to function during the transition period", the statement carried by the official APS news agency said.

Algeria has been rocked by huge protests since the veteran president announced in February that he was seeking a fifth term in office.