Bouteflika arrives back in Algeria amidst growing protests
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has arrived back in Algeria after receiving medical treatment in the Swiss capital for the past two weeks.
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Rumours had been in circulation as to whether or not the president would in fact return to an Algeria that has now become increasingly hostile to Bouteflika since he announced his desire to run for a fifth term in the country’s upcoming elections.
But his presidency confirmed his return this evening and a car was reportedly spotted by Ennahar TV carrying Bouteflika.
Ennahar TV (therefore take with a pinch of salt) broadcasting images allegedly showing Bouteflika riding in the front of the pictured car. pic.twitter.com/cRzyNvbdsh
Yasmina (@animsche) March 10, 2019
Just two days before he left for Switzerland to receive medical treatment, major protests had broken out across Algeria; a first for the country that has been under his rule since his first term in 1999, just after the civil war.
Bouteflika rarely seen
Back in 2013, Bouteflika suffered a stroke and has since been rarely seen in public.
On February 24th, he left for Switzerland to receive medical treatment.
For years, there have been rumours about who would take over should the 82 year old president be replaced.
His ruling party, the National Liberation Front, the FLN, has been in power since Algeria’s independence in 1962.
While the country is considered to be democratic, the FLN’s long history of ruling the country has minimized chances of other parties.
State of emergency
Under a long-standing state of emergency, the government has banned protests, especially in the capital.
But since Bouteflika’s announcement that he would run for a fifth term in the upcoming elections, set for April 18th, tens of thousands of organized protests all across the country have erupted.
Young Algerians have never known another government except that of Bouteflika’s where job opportunities remain limited and corruption rife in one of the continent’s resource-rich countries.
Peaceful protests that have met very little police violence, apart from reported tear gas and occasional infiltration of thugs, were initially aimed at preventing Bouteflika from officially announcing his candidacy.
However, last Sunday, his campaign chief, Abdelghani Zaalane, filed his candidacy papers at the Constitutional Council in Algiers.
Immediately after, hundreds of Algerians took to the streets to denounce the new bid and continue to do so, especially today ahead of his return to the country.
Protests outside Algeria
The same sentiment has been echoed worldwide by Algerian expats.
In France, thousands took to the streets last Sunday in Paris and in the southern city of Marseille.
Today, protests were seen as far as Montreal, Canada where there is a large Algerian community.
A written message to the people of Algeria by Bouteflika was read soon after his candidacy was made official last week.
It was the first time he publically acknowledged the protests, saying “I have heard the pleas of protesters and especially thousands of young people who asked about our nation’s future”.
He added that if reelected, he would immediately call for a “national conference” to set a date and prepare for another presidential election.
He also promised to organize a public referendum on a new Constitution and respond to an opposition demand for an independent electoral commission.
When Bouteflika was elected into power in 1999, under the constitution the president could only remain in power for two terms at five years each.
However, in 2009, he amended the constitution allowing himself to be re-elected for a third, and then a fourth term in 2014, despite having suffered a stroke in 2013.
According to the constitution, article 102 stipulates “that any illness that prevents a leader from governing the country must step down”.
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