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On March 3rd, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced that he would depart from power if he were to be elected after the April elections, but he would first instate some political reforms.
He said that he had “listened and heard the cry of the heart of the protesters.”
In a letter to read out on Algerian TV, the President acknowledged the demands by making six commitments.
“Algeria needs to continue its march towards democracy, progress and prosperity without breaking up the processes of accumulation of its acquis,” he said. “I have the duty and the will to appease the hearts and minds of my compatriots.”
The list of commitments may be found on Facebook, where his entire address was posted.
The six commitments are the following:
- “National Conference debate to be held after election on political, institutional, economic and social reforms”
- “A referendum on a new Constitution”
- “The implementation of public policies guaranteeing a fairer redistribution of national wealth and the elimination of marginalisation and social exclusion”
- “Adopt new policies focusing on the economic and social development of Algeria’s youth population”
- “Revisions of Algeria’s electoral law, including the creation of an independent election body”
- “The organisation of an early presidential election, Bouteflika also promised that he would stand down and not seek re-election for a sixth term”
This decision came as a result of protests that began on February 22nd, with the most recent ones taking place on March 3rd.
Notably, March 1st, thousands took to the streets in Algiers, Algeria to protest against current President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term in power.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the centre of the capital in the afternoon and evening.
The protests were largely peaceful, but there were some clashes between groups of youth and police officers on the fringes of the protests.
According to a police toll, 56 police and seven demonstrators were hurt and 45 arrests were made in the capital, AFP reported.
Protesters have been mobilised by calls on social media and say the demonstrations are aimed not only at Bouteflika’s bid to extend his 20-year tenure, but also against the ruling elite as a whole.
Such protests in Algeria are uncommon and are due to questions whether Bouteflika is fit to rule the country after surviving a stroke in 2013 and has seldom appeared in public since. According to claims by the opposition, the government is led by the President’s advisers and not he himself.
There were also protests organized by Algerians living in France, as France24 reported:
FRANCE 24’s Franco-Algerian journalist Meriem Amellal said: “The most important thing for protesters today is to repeat the episodes of last Friday: They want the demonstrations to be peaceful, that’s the most important thing for them.”
According to protesters he spoke to, some claim that they “must show to the world that Algerian people are not violent, that we want to get rid of the regime peacefully.”
“Some of them told me that they are afraid that the demonstrations will descend into violence. They are afraid that the regime will organise a chaos to stop the electoral process, to declare a state of emergency and that they will keep President Bouteflika in power,” Amellal said.
On February 28th, Algerian police briefly detained several journalists at a protest in Algiers. The journalists called to be allowed to cover the anti-government protests. They were essentially protesting against media censorship.
On February 27th, Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia compared the growing protest movement to the peaceful demonstrations that erupted in Syria and sparked a war that is now nearing its ninth year.
Speaking in parliament Ouyahia said some “demonstrators offered roses to the policemen. But we should recall that in Syria it also began with roses”, he said.
Vote for me, and I’ll quit, I promise?
So is this another American regime change, they are attacking democracy in so many countries I can’t keep up.
It’s hard to tell. Thing is, regime change wouldn’t be so damn easy if most of those countries weren’t being ruled by autocrats or oligarchs who were just busy lining their own pockets and forgot to make sure there were also plenty of jobs for the common folk. China seems to understand this, Singapore became prosperous through this. As long as the people have or stable pensions and feel like they are getting a fair share of the wealth they are willing to put up with democrats, kleptocrats, autocrats, gerontocrats, communists, theocrats or whatever else I’ve forgotten.
It’s when the people notice that they aren’t getting their fair share of the wealth, and there are not enough jobs that discontent starts to grow. And that’s when any government form becomes vulnerable to a color revolution. Even in Western democracies, where the MSM laments the growing spread of populism. And long story short, Algeria seems like a country with a massive wealth inequality, not enough jobs for everyone and a gerontocratic autocratic kleptocracy at the helm. A recipe for disaster regardless of any American involvement or not.
Ruled by autocrats and oligarchs, you mean like here in Australia? You do know the US removed an Australian government in 1975?
All countries are ruled by oligarchs. the only thing that differs is how they legitimize themselves and how much and what kind of freedoms they are willing to grant you.
what a coward…he could no longer serve another term, fleecing the people, so as a parting act, will change the law for the better. proof absoloute he was a puppet of the ffy [ filthy f’en yank] good riddance.