Algerian Protesters Challenge President Bouteflika’s Regime

Algerians have protested PResident Bouteflika’s regime and called for reform. [Flickr]

Since late February, hundreds of thousands of Algerians have protested against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term in office. Although Bouteflika withdrew his bid on March 11, the protests have not ceased. In a country with rampant corruption and unemployment, Algerians are calling for major political and economic reforms.

Now 82 years old, Bouteflika has been president since 1999 and is not in good health. After suffering a debilitating stroke in 2013, Bouteflika was confined to a wheelchair. He leaves the country regularly for medical reasons, and addresses the public rarely (his last public address was in 2014, according to BBC). Al Jazeera reports that critics speculate that Bouteflika may be a puppet president controlled by others in the party.

In 2008, Bouteflika changed the constitution to allow him to run for a third term. By 2012, though, Bouteflika appeared ready to step down, stating, “My generation is finished. Our time is over.” After Bouteflika won a fourth term in 2014, public sentiment shifted negatively; Algerians began to feel that he had overstayed his welcome. The 2018 elections were set to take place on April 18, and when Bouteflika officially announced his candidacy on February 10, mass protests broke out across the country.

Bouteflika has managed to maintain peace until recently, which Al Jazeera attributes to high oil prices. But as oil prices have fallen over the past several years, the government has cut state subsidies, sending youth unemployment soaring to around 30 percent. According to the Telegraph, protesters are fed up with high unemployment, as well as corruption among the ruling elderly elite.

Algeria gained independence from France in 1962, led by the National Liberation Front (FLN), which became the official national military and dominant political party. The FLN faced public protests during a recession in 1987, resulting in both a deadly government crackdown and, ultimately, Algeria’s first democratic elections. But in 1991, when the Islamic Salvation Front gained popularity, the military canceled the elections, and a civil war ensued for ten years. Bouteflika ran for president during the war in 1999 and won despite accusations of rigged elections.

Many Algerians describe the powerful generals and businessmen who run the country as “le pouvoir” (the power). Even after March 11, when Bouteflika withdrew his bid for a fifth term and postponed the elections, the protests have continued, according to the Guardian. People worry that Bouteflika is illegally extending his fourth term by postponing the elections. Algerian protesters have a lot of momentum, but, according to the New York Times, they lack a clear goal and strong leadership. It is hard to predict what will happen next in Algeria, because protesters are demanding real reform, not just another representative of le pouvoir.

“The people have a determination to fight it out with the system,” said opposition figure Mohcine Belabbas.