His departure, announced by the presidency on Monday, has failed to appease protesters who are demanding a complete overhaul of the country's political establishment.

Here are the main players:

Bouteflika has ruled over Algeria since 1999 with support from his faithful backers, but a string of them have deserted him under pressure from the massive street protests since February.

One of those to abandon him was army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah who last week said Bouteflika, rarely seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, should be declared unfit to govern.

It is not clear if Bouteflika can still count on the loyalty of other members of Algeria's notoriously opaque ruling elite.

His key ally has long been his younger brother and special advisor Said Bouteflika, 21 years his junior, who was frequently cited as a likely successor to the president.

Discreet and rarely seen in public, Said Bouteflika has exerted increasing influence behind the scenes as his brother's health woes worsened, but the president's resignation could take away much of his power.

After coming to power with the army's backing, Bouteflika gradually shook off the influence of the military top brass.

Gaid Salah was promoted to the post of army forces chief in 2004 just as he was about to be sent into retirement after a reported power struggle between Bouteflika and his predecessor.

In 2013, after Bouteflika suffered a stroke he appointed Gaid Salah as deputy defence minister in what was seen then as payback for supporting the ailing president for a fourth term in office.

Gaid Salah has been a loyal supporter who helped Bouteflika dismantle the powerful DRS intelligence agency which was considered by many as a "state within a state".

Over the years Gaid Salah became one of the regime's most powerful figures, giving clout to his call for Bouteflika to resign or be declared unfit as the protest movement spiralled.

A military intervention to put an end to street protests, which have so far been peaceful, does not appear to be feasible for now.

The army does not seem to be keen on being dragged into a conflict like the civil war that blighted most of the 1990s.

Algeria's political parties, including opposition movements, have been marginalised by the massive protests that erupted in February after Bouteflika announced a bid for a fifth term in office.

Protesters have lashed out against both Bouteflika's FLN party and its key coalition ally RND as part of demands for an overhaul of the political system in the country.

Under pressure, the RND and some members of the FLN have deserted the president but failed to win hearts among demonstrators who kept on calling for "change" during near-daily protests.

Opposition parties have not fared much better as protesters accuse some members of failing to stand up to the establishment during Bouteflika's 20-year rule and playing roles within the political system.

Among those they have chastised are Ali Benflis, a former Bouteflika premier who has become one of the president's key rivals, and Abderrazak Makri of the moderate Islamist Movement for the Society of Peace.

The protests, largely led by social media savvy young people and including lawyers and other professionals, have piled on the pressure with a succession of massive Friday rallies.

Over the weeks their demands have been met by gestures from the government, including Bouteflika's announced departure, but it is unclear if the protest movement will stop.

The demonstrators have no official spokesperson, although figures such as prominent rights activist Mustapha Bouchachi or opposition politician Karim Tabbou have emerged as possible representatives.