The Irish Times view on Algeria: defiance on the streets
For many young Algerians, an ailing president symbolises the tired gerontocracy that holds their country back
Algerian protesters chant slogans during a protest against the fifth term of Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algiers, Algeria, on Friday. Photograph: Mohamed Messara/EPA
After 10 days of rare street protests in Algeria over an attempt by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to seek a fifth term as head of state, the ailing 82-year-old moved to appease the demonstrators at the weekend by announcing he would step down within a year if re-elected next month. In doing so, Bouteflika was acknowledging the legitimacy of the protesters’ complaints, but the protests are likely to continue until the crowds’ chief demand is met.
The country was barely touched by the Arab Spring protests in 2011
Since winning independence from France in 1962, the National Liberation Front (FLN) has run the country with the help of an influential military/intelligence apparatus that has suppressed potential challengers. Bouteflika, a veteran leader of the independence struggle, has been in power since 1999. He suffered a stroke in 2013 and has not spoken in public since.