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dpa
Algiers
Representatives of Algerian opposition parties met in the capital Algiers on Wednesday to agree on a joint candidate to run against incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in the April 18 presidential election.
However, after a five-hour meeting, the parties did not reach consensus on a candidate, and announced that further meetings would be held.
The head of the Islamist Justice and Development Front, Abdallah Djaballah, stressed the importance of choosing a joint candidate and called on parties to put aside differences to achieve this goal.
The opposition parties lauded ongoing nationwide protests against Bouteflika’s decision to run for a fifth term in office.
“The protests reflect the people’s awareness,” they said.
Former head of government Ali Benflis, head of Islamist Movement of Society for Peace, Abderrazak Makri, and other opposition figures attended the meeting. In the recent days, hundreds of Algerians protested against Bouteflika’s intention to run in the upcoming election.
The 81-year-old president, who has been in power since 1999, suffered a stroke in 2013. He is rarely seen in public. In recent years, Algeria’s finances have been hurt by the global drop in oil prices, prompting cuts in state subsidies.
Bouteflika is the only president in North Africa who was spared in the pro-democracy uprisings of the Arab Spring that started in neighbouring Tunisia in 2010. At the time, his government contained pro-democracy protests with promises of reform and pay raises, financed by the country’s revenues from oil and gas.
Algiers
Representatives of Algerian opposition parties met in the capital Algiers on Wednesday to agree on a joint candidate to run against incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in the April 18 presidential election.
However, after a five-hour meeting, the parties did not reach consensus on a candidate, and announced that further meetings would be held.
The head of the Islamist Justice and Development Front, Abdallah Djaballah, stressed the importance of choosing a joint candidate and called on parties to put aside differences to achieve this goal.
The opposition parties lauded ongoing nationwide protests against Bouteflika’s decision to run for a fifth term in office.
“The protests reflect the people’s awareness,” they said.
Former head of government Ali Benflis, head of Islamist Movement of Society for Peace, Abderrazak Makri, and other opposition figures attended the meeting. In the recent days, hundreds of Algerians protested against Bouteflika’s intention to run in the upcoming election.
The 81-year-old president, who has been in power since 1999, suffered a stroke in 2013. He is rarely seen in public. In recent years, Algeria’s finances have been hurt by the global drop in oil prices, prompting cuts in state subsidies.
Bouteflika is the only president in North Africa who was spared in the pro-democracy uprisings of the Arab Spring that started in neighbouring Tunisia in 2010. At the time, his government contained pro-democracy protests with promises of reform and pay raises, financed by the country’s revenues from oil and gas.
