No 5th term for Bouteflika

Since Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced on February 10 that he would run for a fifth presidential term, Algerians – and especially young people – have taken to the streets in large numbers to protest and demand change. There is no question for them of keeping in power a president in charge since 1999 and with health issues.

It took him almost a month, after tenacious and peaceful demonstrations, to finally announce on March 3 the withdrawal of his candidacy and the indefinite postponement of the presidential elections. A first victory for Algerians who are not fooled by this: how long will this postponement last and, consequently, Bouteflika’s survival in power?

There is still a long way to go and the various opposition political movements (including the Islamist movement) will have to organise themselves to propose a credible alternative… But everything suggests that Algeria is closing a cycle of its history to open a new one.

To see our previous weekly editorials on international news, take a look here!