Algeria’s interim president pledges free elections
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's interim president, in a televised speech to the nation, promised on Tuesday to organize free elections after weeks of protests that led to the resignation of 20-year leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Abdelkader Bensalah, who was rejected by demonstrators right after parliament chose him to lead a transition period, said the army was aligned with the constitution as a pathway out of the crisis. He said he would consult with the political class and civil society alike in pursuit of a new Algeria. (Reporting by Lamine Chikhi and Hamid Ould Ahmed; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Mark Heinrich)