Algerian protest leader calls for six-month transition period

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down this month after weeks of demonstrations mainly by young people seeking change. (Courtesy)

Algeria needs six months to prepare free elections, a protest leader said on Saturday, and called for the transition from 20 years of rule by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be managed by a former minister respected by protesters as well as Islamists.

The call by Seif Islam Benatia for Ahmed Taleb Ibrahimi, an 87-year-old former minister, conservative and author to play a leading role, comes a day after hundreds of thousands marched peacefully for the tenth consecutive Friday demanding the departure of Algeria’s ruling elite.