Why Algeria Is Still Protesting After Ruler Relents

Bowing to weeks of mass protests, Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika abandoned his bid to run for a fifth term and postponed a planned April 18 election until after a national conference on the country’s political future. The move was a partial victory for protesters, but many said they would carry on pushing for a clear change in leadership. Their demonstrations, which invoke comparisons to the Arab Spring protests of 2011, are being watched closely in Europe and elsewhere: Algeria is not only one of Africa’s largest energy producers but has been a bulwark against Islamist militancy and undocumented migration from other parts of the continent.

The protests erupted in the capital Algiers after the ailing, octogenarian leader announced he would run for a fifth term in office. Demonstrators are fed up with corruption, high unemployment and a president who’s held power for 20 years. Initial demands that Bouteflika drop his re-election bid have snowballed into calls for deeper political change. Sparked by anonymous posts on social media, the protests have spread throughout the North African country and don’t appear to have an organized leader. So far, demonstrators and the police have gone to great lengths to keep the gatherings peaceful.