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Algerian President Calls for New Elections after Dissolving Lower House of Parliament


A man sits outside a restaurant while Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune speaks on television, Feb.18, 2021, in Algiers.
A man sits outside a restaurant while Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune speaks on television, Feb.18, 2021, in Algiers.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced Thursday he is dissolving the lower house of parliament, whose members have little more than a year left on their five-year terms.

Tebboune said he will call for elections to build a new institution through elections that are free from money, whether corrupt or not.

The president also said he will reshuffle the government within the next two days.

Tebboune, a former prime minister under ousted President Adelaziz Bouteflika, was elected amid protests demanding the departure of the ruling elite.

The leader of the North African nation also ordered the release of 60 members of a protest movement involved in forcing Bouteflika from office in 2019.

Tebboune said the decision to disband the lower house, whose majority backed the former president, was part of reforms included in amendments to the constitution last November aimed at giving parliament more powers.

Tebboune's move also addresses his promise to voters to make reforms after succeeding Bouteflika.

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