Algeria’s president returns to face crisis

ABDELAZIZ BOUTEFLIKA, the Algerian president, arrived in Boufarik last night after spending two weeks in a Swiss hospital as major demonstrations against his rule gripped the nation.

Mr Bouteflika, 82, suffered a stroke in 2013 and is seeking a fifth term in an April election after 20 years in power, a move that has angered many Algerians.

In a third week of protests, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Algiers on Friday, calling for change in the biggest demonstration yet against Mr Bouteflika. Bouteflika lives in Zeralda outside Algiers, not in the city’s presidential palace.

Yesterday, the top Algerian party backing the beleaguered chief of state, broke its silence over the massive demonstrations demanding the end of the regime, saying it was ready to work with all parties to end the crisis.

The National Liberation Front said it wanted to find a way out of the crisis “with the least cost to the country”.

Ahmed Gaid Salah, the army chief of staff, added his voice to the pleas for calm, saying that the army and the people “have the same vision of the future”.

Peaceful nationwide protests began last month to oppose Mr Bouteflika’s plan to run for a fifth term in April 18 elections. The protest movement also wants a change in the system that has kept him there and allowed him to keep a stranglehold on the power structure.