Algeria's ruling coalition party calls for president to quit

FILE - In this April 28, 2014 file photo, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sits in a wheelchair after taking oath as President, in Algiers. Algeria's powerful army chief said Tuesday March 26, 2019 that he wants to trigger the constitutional process that would declare President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office, after more than a month of mass protests against the ailing leader's long rule. (AP Photo/Sidali Djarboub, File)

FILE - In this May 4, 2017 file photo, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika prepares to vote in Algiers. Algeria's powerful army chief said Tuesday March 26, 2019 that he wants to trigger the constitutional process that would declare President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office, after more than a month of mass protests against the ailing leader's long rule. (AP Photo/Sidali Djarboub, File)

ALGIERS, Algeria – Algeria's ruling coalition party has called for the resignation of ailing, 82-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

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

The move comes one day after Algeria's powerful army chief called for starting the constitutional process to have Bouteflika declared unfit for office, possibly paving the way for the president's ouster after 20 years in power.

The country's presidential coalition is formed by an alliance of the RND with the FLN party.

Bouteflika, who has barely been seen in public since a 2013 stroke, has faced weeks of protests. He canceled this month an April national election and overhauled the government.