ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — 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.