Algeria's ruling coalition party calls for president to quit

Algeria's ruling coalition party on Wednesday called for the resignation of ailing, 82-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, whose long rule has prompted weeks of mass street protests in the country.

The RND party's secretary general and former prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia said in a written statement it "recommends" Bouteflika's resignation to facilitate the transition of power.

"In order to avoid any institutional vacuum, the president must urgently appoint a new government," he said.

Ouyahia expressed "gratitude" to Bouteflika for "all he given Algeria."