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Algiers – Having no obvious successor to longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algerians might very well see their frail leader who rarely appears in public hanging on for a fifth term.
When Bouteflika came to power in 1999, he gained the support of his citizens, who were tired of the conflict and allowed him to reconcile after a fierce civil war
Almost two decades later late and with a presidential election scheduled for next year, the 81-year-old leader "As long as God will keep him alive, Bouteflika will certainly seek a fifth term," said Mohamed Hennad, a professor of political science at the university. University of Algiers
. has been the constant speculation about the president's health – and even rumors of his death – who suffered a stroke in 2013 who saw him spend three months in a French hospital.
But Bouteflika surprised observers to win a fourth term in 2014, he voted from a wheelchair, and is expected to appear on the 2019 ticket
"All the outward signs tend to show a very small group of very powerful people at the head of the Algerian state," Pierre Vermeren, Professor of Contemporary History at Pantheon University Sorbonne in Paris
A possible successor, the head of the national police Abdelghani Hamel, was expelled last month from the restricted circle of the president.
The movement is similar to reorganizations within the powerful intelligence services a few months before the 2014 elections, in which Bouteflika obtained 81.5% of the vote despite the absence of the election campaign.
Politicians are already preparing for a fifth Mr. Bouteflika, the secretary general of his Front de Libérati April (FLN) asked him to introduce himself.
Last month, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia declared his Rally for National Democracy. The party (RND) would support the president "pursuing his mission and his sacrifice in the service of Algeria".
Fervent criticism of Bouteflika's decision to stay in power, Soufiane Djilali, president of the New Generation Party (Jil Jadid), accused the presidential "There is no doubt that President Bouteflika wants to end his days in power", he said.
Algerians may be waiting a little in advance before announcing their candidacy. the president did only two months before the last election.
Although those who are wary of political reform, after a fourth term marked by social and economic difficulties, may decide to stand completely out of elections.
experienced a 50% abstention rate and could reach a record in 2019, with Algerians suffering from falling oil prices and youth unemployment at 30%.
Half of the 40 million Algerians are now However, from the University of Algiers, Hennad considers that Bouteflika is voluntarily withdrawing as an "unlikely hypothesis".
There is only one alternative, the academic said, "If he is declared unfit before the vote, unthinkable for the moment." – AFP
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