Europe Has Its Fingers Crossed on Algeria
The stakes of unrest are huge for France and other European Union members, but their influence is limited.
What happens in Algiers matters in Paris.
Photographer: Michel Stoupak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Algerian government is bracing for more demonstrations on Friday against President Abdulaziz Bouteflika’s plan to seek a fifth term in April’s elections. The protests, organized anonymously over social-media platforms, seemed to achieve critical mass last weekend, and have continued throughout the week, prompting authorities to increase the security presence in urban centers.
They represent the greatest challenge in years to the country’s rulers, a loose but durable coalition of interests that includes the president, the military and intelligence services.