Tens of Thousands Protest Again Against Bouteflika in Algeria

On Friday, March 8, tens of thousands of people in Algeria continued to protest against Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the country's president, despite the heavy presence of riot police. This is the most serious threat to his 20-year rule. According to Reuters, in an unprecedented move, one of the Friday prayer leaders in Algiers did not pray for the president as usual, but only wished for happiness for Algeria and its people. The private television network 'Echorouk' reported that several representatives of the ruling party (National Liberation Front) have resigned and joined the widespread protests against the government. No further details have been released about this news. Before the gathering of people and the start of the protests, the metro and train services in Algiers were stopped for unknown reasons. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 82, who suffered a stroke in 2013, is currently hospitalized in Geneva and has not spoken in public since 2014. On Thursday, in his first warning to the protesters, he stated that the unrest, now entering its third week, is causing instability in the country. This protest, the largest since the 2011 movement known as the 'Arab Spring,' poses a serious challenge for Bouteflika, who is running for the fifth time in the presidential election on April 18. Tens of thousands of Algerians, tired of the continued rule of veteran politicians from the independence war against France (1954-1962), are calling for Bouteflika's resignation, yet he has registered to run despite his severe illness. Reuters adds that Bouteflika has suggested that he will limit his presidential term after the elections and even change the 'system' of governance, but people from various sectors, especially students and young families, continue to protest. The support of some of Bouteflika's old allies, including members of the ruling party, for the protesters indicates that there are cracks in the ruling minority, which has always been perceived as united. Elderly Algerians, who still remember the bitter memories of the civil war in the 1990s, have tolerated the repression of government opponents in exchange for national stability over the decades. Meanwhile, Bouteflika's government has relied on foreign currency reserves and increased public spending to prevent protests similar to the 'Arab Spring' in Algeria. However, the younger generation is demanding jobs and is tired of what they perceive as widespread financial and political corruption. More than a quarter of Algerians under 30 are unemployed. An unknown political group has called on social media for a '20 million march' on Friday, which could become the largest protest in the capital and other cities in Algeria. The slogans seen on the placards carried by the protesters included: 'Bouteflika go,' 'Algeria is a republic, not a monarchy,' and 'Until the overthrow, there will be no electoral gang.' Riot police units are deployed in the streets as on other days, but so far, military forces have not been sent to the streets.