Protests force Algeria leader from re-election bid

Published on 12 Mar 2019 11:35:43 AM

Algeria's ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced on Monday that he will not run for a fifth term, bowing to weeks of mass demonstrations against his rule.

Currently, there are reports of jubilation from the thousands of people demonstrating against his initial bid to run again.

He's 82 years old and ruled for 20 years, but has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

More than 1,000 court judges said on Monday they would refuse to oversee the election if he stood. Religious clerics said they would not accept government orders about what to preach.