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Join on Telegram Rabat – Dozens of Algerians took to the streets to condemn the decision of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run for a fifth term in April’s presidential election.
Protests against Bouteflika’s move took place in several cities across Algeria, including Algiers, Oran, Annaba, and Bataa.
Protesters held banners reading “No fifth term. I am Algerian, I am against it.”
Football fans in Algeria also protested Bouteflika’s decision. A video went viral of football fans shouting slogans against Bouteflika’s decision.
Read Also: Le Monde: A Paralyzed, Anachronistic Regime ‘Confiscates’ Algeria’s Future
Algerian opposition party Rally for Culture and Democracy also denounced Bouteflika’s decision.
The spokesperson of the party said that there “will be no election but an appointment of the head of state.”
Algerian renowned sport commentator Hafid Derradji also criticized Bouteflika in several Facebook posts.
In one of the posts, Derradji wrote that he is sad for his country.
In another post, Derradji also criticized Algerian youth for not taking action to stop what is happening in the country’s political scene.
In a third post, the beIN Sports journalist also cast doubt on Bouteflika’s ability to perform his constitutional duties.
“Bouteflika did not run, nor can he make his candidacy, nor campaign, nor even oath.”
A group of Algerian activists also launched an online campaign using the hashtag “Let_Him_Rest,” implying that Algerian elites pushed Bouteflika to run for the fifth mandate.
“A president who cannot carry out his duties towards the country and the people, a president who does not give speeches, does not sign decrees, does not appoint, does not sack, does not make field visits, does not meet invitations, does not receive heads of state, a [president] who does not declare war and peace is an illegal president according to Article 102 of the Constitution,” wrote the activists on their Facebook page.
Bouteflika is in power since 1999.
