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Thousands of Algerians Rally Against 81-Year-Old President Running for Fifth Term

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Algeria on February 22, to protest over President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s decision to run for a fifth term in April’s election, local news reports said.

Security forces prevented protesters from reaching the president’s residence in the capital, according to reports.

The president, aged 81, announced in early February that he was going to run in the election, despite his poor health, Reuters reported.

“Bouteflika has been in office since 1999, but has been seen in public only rarely since suffering a stroke in 2013 that confined him to a wheelchair. [He] is likely to win a fifth term as the Algerian opposition remains weak and fragmented,” Reuters added.

Footage here shows protesters marching through the capital, Algiers. Credit: Nadjib Belhimer via Storyful