Rabat – Despite a wave of protests against his re-election, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will submit his official application to seek re-election on March 3.
Bouteflika’s campaign manager, Abdelmalek Sellal, announced on Tuesday that the president would submit his papers as per the law.
“It is Bouteflika’s right to be a candidate,” Sellal told the crowd in televised comments.
Beginning last week, thousands of Algerians have taken to the streets to display their rejection of Bouteflika’s campaign to win re-election for a fifth term.
After the first protests on Friday, February 22, clashes between demonstrators and Algerian police resulted in the arrest of more than 40 people.
Read Also: Algerian Police Arrest 41 Protesters Opposing Bouteflika’s Re-Election
Today—the fifth day of the demonstrations—Algerians renewed their anger and condemnation of their president’s campaign. Hundreds of college students rallied near their universities, shouting slogans and carrying Algerian flags.
One young Algerian student, Adel, told the media amid protests: “I was born in 1999. In 20 years, I only knew Bouteflika as president.”
Many Algerians share Adel’s view that Bouteflika, 81, should step aside and give younger leaders a chance to run for elections and bring change to the country.
After he suffered from a stroke in 2013, Bouteflika’s health continued to deteriorate, and he has rarely been seen in public.
Algeria will hold its presidential elections on April 18.
