Status: 18.09.2021 02:41 a.m.
Long-time President Bouteflika died in Algeria at the age of 84. For a long time he was seen by the West as a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism. In 2019, however, millions of Algerians protested against another term in office.
Former head of state Abdelaziz Bouteflika died in Algeria, North Africa. Algerian television announced this during the night. Accordingly, Algeria ex-president died at the age of 84.
Abdelaziz Bouteflika had already gained political experience as a teenager. In the war of independence against the French, he was considered a hero. At the age of 26 he became foreign minister and in 1999 president.
Stability and retention of power – those were his goals. In the West, he was therefore a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism. He was credited with pacifying Algeria to some extent after the civil war of the 1990s. Around 200,000 people were killed in the fighting between Islamists and the government.
Mass protests against the fifth term
Bouteflika was later criticized for an authoritarian style of government – there were repeated mass demonstrations. In spring 2019 it was announced that the seriously ill Bouteflika would run for a fifth term. For years he had not spoken directly to the population and was in a wheelchair after a stroke.
When Bouteflika nevertheless announced that it would run for a fifth term, millions of people in Algeria took to the streets in protest. The mass protests against the longtime president had plunged Algeria into a deep political crisis in 2019. In April 2019, Bouteflika was finally forced to resign under pressure from the military and mass protests. Bouteflika was at the helm of Algeria for 20 years.