Key Algerian government coalition partner calls on President Bouteflika to quit

The coalition ally of Algeria's ruling party called on Wednesday President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign, putting more pressure on the ailing 82-year old leader.

In a statement signed by its leader, recently sacked prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia, the National Rally for Democracy (RND) said it "recommends the resignation of the president... with the aim of smoothing the period of transition".

This announcement came a day after the country's army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah demanded he be declared unfit.

"In this context, it becomes necessary, even imperative to adopt a solution to get out of the crisis, which responds to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people, and which guarantees the respect of the provisions of the Constitution and the maintenance of the sovereignty of the state," said Salah.

In a statement signed by the ruling party leader, who has recently sacked prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia, the National Rally for Democracy (RND) stated it "recommends the resignation of the president... with the aim of smoothing the period of transition".

The pressure on Bouteflika has been piling following weeks of mass protests in the North African country demanding the aging president to step down since he announced his intention to stand for a fifth term as head of state.

This move, to run for a fifth term, had been, however, supported by his National Liberation Front (NLF) and the RND.

According to Algerian journalist Massinissa Benlakehal, the constitution could also be used to crush popular protests in the country.

"For some observers, this crisis is political and requires only a political solution. That is why the use of the current constitution aims at smothering the popular protesting movement and by consequence reproduce the existing regime," he said.

Djamel Zenati, former head of the historical opposition party, the Social Forces Front, warned that the use of the constitution's Article 102 - as called for by the army chief-of-staff - is a trap.

According to a post on his Facebook account, Zenati said: "the option of the article 102 is far from being the solution or even the beginning of it".

"It aims at imprisoning the popular ideal in a procedure whose unique purpose is to allow the system to regenerate itself... This is a trap, indeed. It's about sacrificing Bouteflika to save everything else."

"The chief of staff seems to be concerned about the respect of the constitution. In that case, why didn’t he oppose Bouteflika's candidacy? It was, however, doubly inconsistent with the Constitution. Why did he not react to the cancellation of the presidential election?” he argues.