ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria's new prime minister is promising to create a government within days as the country faces mass protests calling for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down.

Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui told a news conference Thursday that the government would be in place next week at the latest.

He called upon all sides to build trust and cooperate to overcome the current crisis shaking the gas-rich country, an important player in the global fight against Islamic extremism.

Bedoui was interior minister before the president named him this week to head a new government meant to calm tensions.

Bouteflika's critics plan new nationwide protests Friday.

Bouteflika agreed to abandon plans for a fifth term but he also canceled presidential elections set for April 18, raising fears he will stay in power indefinitely.