Algeria’s Bouteflika Abandons Re-election Bid After Weeks of Protest

Algeria’s Bouteflika Abandons Re-election Bid After Weeks of Protest
People celebrate on the streets after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced he will not run for a fifth term, in Algiers, Algeria March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Reuters
Updated:

ALGIERS—Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika abandoned his bid for a fifth term in power on March 11, bowing to weeks of mass demonstrations against his 20-year rule by people demanding a new era of politics in a country dominated by the old guard.

He also postponed an election that had been set for April and promised social and economic reform.