ALGERIAN President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Monday announced his decision to give up his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, official APS news agency reported.

In a message sent to the nation, Bouteflika said he will not seek a fifth term in the presidential election, adding that the presidential election slated for April 18 will be postponed for an indefinite period.

Bouteflika said his withdrawal from the election was a response to the continuous popular rallies across the country.

He also decided to conduct a Cabinet reshuffle, arrange an independent national conference to prepare for and adopt reforms to form a new political system, and draft a new constitution for referendum.

The date of the presidential election will be decided during the conference, and the polls will be monitored by a new independent panel headed by an independent figure, Bouteflika noted.

Millions of Algerians have been staging rallies across the country since Feb. 22 to force the 82-year-old ailing president to renounce his intention to run for the presidency.  (Xinhua)