Algeria: Lawyer protest in Algiers against Bouteflika candidacy March 7 /update 8

Event

Thousands of lawyers are protesting in Algiers as of Thursday, March 7, to denounce President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's campaign for a fifth term in office. Protesters gathered in front of the Constitutional Council building in the capital. An increased security presence has been deployed in the area.

Similar political rallies and protests are expected across Algeria ahead of the April 18 elections. A heightened security presence and associated disruptions (e.g. transportation, commercial, internet service) are likely during protests. Clashes between protesters and police cannot be ruled out.

Context

Several protests have been organized across the country since February 22 in response to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's campaign to be reelected for a fifth term; presidential elections are set for April 18. In early February, the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) officially nominated Bouteflika as their candidate. Bouteflika's campaign manager formally submitted the incumbent president's candidacy on March 3. Bouteflika asserted in a letter that he would offer to organize a constitutional referendum and step down after a new vote held within a year if elected to a fifth mandate in the upcoming April 18 presidential elections.

Bouteflika has been in power since 1999. There is widespread discontent with Bouteflika's economic policies, lack of public appearances following a stroke in 2013, and repression of speech; such frustrations have led to the largest and most extensive anti-government demonstrations in Algeria since the 2011 Arab Spring protests. Public demonstrations in Algeria, banned since 2001, are usually rare and are often met with a heavy security presence. On March 1, at least 183 people were wounded in clashes between protesters and police across the country.

Advice

Individuals in Algeria are advised to monitor the situation, avoid all public demonstrations as a precaution, anticipate business and transportation disruptions as well as a heightened security presence near protest sites, refrain from discussing political subjects in public or on social media, and adhere to instructions issued by the local authorities and their home governments.