Algerians gathered in the hundreds of thousands in cities across the country today to maintain the weeks of peaceful protest against the continued rule of 82-year-old ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his circle.
Under relentless public pressure, the government has offered a series of concessions. However, none have quelled the tide of protest against Bouteflika’s continued rule. For protesters, both the president’s ailing health and the country’s economic and social stagnation have proven a tipping point. The country has seen years of growing dissatisfaction spill over into the widespread popular protests that have gripped the country since the initial demonstrations on Feb. 22.