Algerian Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Kaid Saleh today demanded the application of Article 102 of the Constitution, which sets out the president's incapacity to exercise his duties, as stated in a speech broadcast on state television.

"We must adopt a solution that will ensure a way out of the crisis, a solution that guarantees the exit from the crisis, and ensures respect for the constitution and consensus, which is the solution stipulated in the Constitution in Article 102," said Kayed Saleh.

During a working visit and his inspection from the fourth day on the fourth military level, Kayed said that everyone must work with patriotism, selflessness and the interest of the nation to find a solution to the crisis immediately.

The team praised the great awareness of the Algerian people during their marches across the country, warning that these maneuvers could be exploited by hostile parties from inside or outside to destabilize the country, adding that the conscious people know how these maneuvers fail.

Article 102 provides for the creation of a successor to the Head of State if he can not continue to carry out his functions, in reference to the illness of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his having to attend official events with a wheelchair.

Article 102 of the amended Constitution of 2016 provides that "if the President of the Republic is unable to exercise his functions due to a serious and chronic illness, the Constitutional Council shall meet and decide upon the fact of this impediment by all appropriate means.

The article states in the rest of its paragraphs that the President of the Council of the Nation presides over the acting state for a period not exceeding 45 after the declaration of the parliament proved the impediment, but in the case of continued illness of the head of state after that, it means resignation and then vacancy of his post, which is the President of the Council of the nation again for a period not Over 90 days, during which presidential elections are held to elect a new president.

Algeria has been witnessing weeks of mass protests against President Bouteflika's candidacy for a fifth term.