p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; color: #101010; -webkit-text-stroke: #101010}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; color: #404040; -webkit-text-stroke: #404040}
span.s1 {font-kerning: none}
span.s2 {font: 14.0px Calibri; font-kerning: none; color: #101010; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #101010}
span.s3 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #042eee; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #042eee}
span.s4 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #347ab7; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #347ab7}
TUNIS, Tunisia — Beleaguered Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has announced that he will extend his fourth term in office while sweeping changes are made to the country's constitution.
Announcing the news on Monday evening, Bouteflika is reported to have said, "There will be no fifth term." The president added, "There was never any question of it for me. Given my state of health and age, my last duty toward the Algerian people was always contributing to the foundation of a new republic."
News of the extension, essentially a partial reworking of his March 3 offer of only serving a limited term while overseeing reform, has angered many Algerians, with #Leave_means_leave trending on Twitter within hours of his initial announcement.
Protests have gripped the country, paralyzing many of its major cities since Bouteflika's fifth run for the presidency was announced in February.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
