Algerian council scraps July 4 presidential polls

Algeria cannot hold a presidential election planned for July 4 due to a lack of valid candidates, its constitutional council said yesterday, prolonging the country’s transition after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned two months ago. The move will likely extend the rule of interim President Abdelkader Bensalah, who was meant to stay only until the vote to elect a new president after Bouteflika ended his 20-year rule in the wake of mass protests.