Former Algerian president Abdelkader Bensalah dies at 80

ALGIERS, Algeria

Former Algerian President Abdelkader Bensalah died on Wednesday at the age of 80 after a long struggle with illness.

The National Assembly, Algeria’s second chamber of Parliament, mourned its former speaker in a statement.

In early April 2019, Bensalah was named a transitional president following the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika under the pressure of popular protests.

Bensalah handed over the presidency to the new president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, on Dec. 19, after the latter won the presidential elections that took place on Dec. 12.

It was scheduled that Bensalah, after handing over the task to Tebboune, would return to his post as speaker of the National Assembly, which he headed since 2002.

But the presidency then announced that Bensalah decided to resign from his position and withdraw from political life, amid reports that his health had deteriorated.

Bensalah's death came just days after the death of Bouteflika at the age of 84 on Friday.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat