Algeria’s army chief of staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, said on state television that he had no political ambitions in response to democracy activists who say that he intends to copy the authoritarian model of Egypt.
The armed forces have been a pivotal power center in Algeria for decades and have been managing a transition after mass protests forced President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign last month after 20 years in office.
Street demonstrations have continued to press demands for a dismantling of the elite of independence veterans, security commanders and business tycoons that have run the major oil and natural gas producer since independence from France in 1962.
A presidential election has been scheduled for July 4
Algerian activists say they are concerned the army-steered transition toward democracy will prove illusory as in Egypt.
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