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Agence France-Presse

Thousands of people marched in Paris and other French cities Sunday to protest Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid to stand for a fifth term in office.
The demonstrations coincide with large-scale rallies in Algeria to denounce the ailing president’s bid to hang on to power.

Bouteflika, 82, uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. He flew to Switzerland a week ago for what his office described as “routine medical checks”.
Organisers said 10,000 demonstrators from Algeria’s large diaspora gathered in the Place de la Republique, in central Paris. Police put the numbers at 6,000.
Many waved their national flag or wore it over their shoulders, shouting, “out, out”, an AFP journalist at the scene witnessed.
Organisers said about 1,000 turned out in the Mediterranean port of Marseille in the south, and a few hundred in the southwest city of Toulouse.
Although Bouteflika has been increasingly frail since suffering a stroke in 2013, he was re-elected for his fourth term in 2014.
Elections for a new president are due to take place on April 18.

“No to the mandate of shame, 20 years is enough,” proclaimed one placard in Paris, referring to Bouteflika’s intention to stand in the April 18 elections after 20 years in power.
Since gaining independence from France in 1962, “Algeria has been run by the same group of men, the same system,” 62-year-old Abderrahmane Hamirouche told AFP.
“Algeria is ruined while it’s a country that potentially could be rich. What is there left for future generations?” the IT specialist asked.
Nadia Tamzali, a 62-year-old Franco-Algerian doctor, criticised the country’s lack of free speech and dominance by the military.

“They have killed our culture – nearly all the cinemas have disappeared,” she said.
“We want the 40 thieves to go. They have gone too far,” said a 54-year-old Algerian who gave his name as Asri.
“We aren’t opposed to the president, but he is unconscious, he doesn’t exist any more, his generals and those close to him are doing what they will behind his back,” said Asri, who has lived in France for 31 years.
Algeria, a former French colony, won independence in 1962.


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France

Thousands march in France to protest Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for 5th term

Members of the Algerian community in Paris protest against the fifth term of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Place de la Republique in Paris, France. Photo: EPA-EFE

epa07411054 Members of the Algerian community in Paris protest against the fifth term of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Place de la Republique in Paris, France, 03 March 2019. The registration process for the upcoming presidential elections in Algeria closed on 03 March, while there was still no official confirmation as to whether the country's ailing president, whose bid for re-election sparked widespread protests, had submitted his candidacy papers. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, serving as the president since 1999, has announced on 19 February he will be running for a fifth term in presidential elections scheduled for 18 April 2019. EPA-EFE/IAN LANGSDON

Demonstrators stage a protest to denounce President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Algeria's Constitutional Council has been placed under high security as President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term is due to be formally submitted. Sign on the right reads, "free Algeria." (AP Photo/Claude Paris)

epa07411096 Members of the Algerian community in Paris protest against the fifth term of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Place de la Republique in Paris, France, 03 March 2019. The registration process for the upcoming presidential elections in Algeria closed on 03 March, while there was still no official confirmation as to whether the country's ailing president, whose bid for re-election sparked widespread protests, had submitted his candidacy papers. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, serving as the president since 1999, has announced on 19 February he will be running for a fifth term in presidential elections scheduled for 18 April 2019. EPA-EFE/IAN LANGSDON

Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sacks his campaign manager hours before election deadline, state media confirms

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika meets with the French prime minister at his residence during an official visit in Zeralda, a suburb of the capital Algiers. Photo: AFP

Abdelmalek Sellal, Algeria's former prime minister and director of current President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's re-election campaign, attends a campaign rally organised by their National Liberation Front (FLN) party at La Coupole arena in the capital Algiers on February 9, 2019. - Bouteflika, who uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, has yet to announce whether or not he will run in the election. But the country's ruling coalition at the weekend named the president, who has been in power since 1999, as its candidate. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI / AFP)

Hundreds defy ban on protests to demonstrate against fifth term for ailing Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika

Algerian policemen surround protesters during a demonstration against Algeria’s president’s candidacy for a fifth term, on February 22, 2019 in Algiers. Photo: AFP

Algerian protestors face policemen as they demonstrate against their president's candidacy for a fifth term, on February 22, 2019 in Algiers. - Abdelaziz Bouteflika's decision to seek a fifth term as president stirred mixed reactions in the Algerian society. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI / AFP)

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Organisers say 10,000 demonstrators from Algeria’s large diaspora gathered in the Place de la Republique, in central Paris


Organisers say 10,000 demonstrators from Algeria’s large diaspora gathered in the Place de la Republique, in central Paris.


Africa