Rabat, April 17 -- Under pressure from continued protests in Algiers, Algeria's top army chief Gaid Salah has said that time is "running out" to end the escalating crisis in the country before elections.

Salah asserted that "all options are open in the pursuit of overcoming the different difficulties" to end the crisis "as soon as possible."

Salah made his comments on Tuesday after the head of the Algerian Constitutional Council, Tayeb Belaiz, resigned.

Belaiz responded to the demand of protesters, who have been calling on him and all other top officials to step down.

Belaiz had resisted the protesters' demands for two weeks after former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his government resigned on April 3.

The protesters are now cal...