Algeria: Controversy Over Proposed Exit For President

There is no end in sight for Algeria’s political crisis that has seen massive demonstrations across the country since February 22, 2019 when people took to the streets demanding that ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 82, should not stand for a fifth term of office next month. Later, protesters upped their game, asking for his immediate resignation. On March 26, 2019,

Deputy Defence Minister and Army Chief, Gen. Ahmed Gaïd Salah, asked that Article 102 of the Constitution be used to get the Head of State to leave office because of his failing health, agency reports said. Gen. Gaid Salah, one of the top power brokers in the regime, who had until recently been loyal to the President, threw his weight behind what he called the “legitimate demands” of the demonstrators in a speech broadcast continuously on Algerian television.

He said Abdelaziz Bouteflika be deemed unfit to rule, appearing to pave the way for an end to his 20-year rule. But the offer has met with scepticism as observers argue that if acted upon, the President will be replaced by the Speaker of Parliament and elections held in four months’ time, with the current political system remaining in place. Secondly, there is fear that the army wants to “hijack” the protest movement and continue to remain in power after Bouteflika’s eventual departure. Barrister Mostefa Bouchachi, former head of Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights, warned of the danger of opting for the resignation of the President under Article 102.