Algeria Clamps Down as Protests Build Against Aging President

(Bloomberg) -- Algerian police arrested several journalists on Thursday protesting ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s candidacy for April elections, as tensions rose on the eve of what could be the biggest day of demonstrations yet.

Policemen waded into the rally in the capital, Algiers, and bundled at least 10 journalists into waiting trucks. There were reports that the number detained could be significantly higher. About 200 journalists had been chanting “No to a fifth term,” the signature slogan of rallies over the past week against another period in power for the wheelchair-bound 81-year-old Bouteflika. They also called for an end to restrictions that have prevented them reporting on the unrest.

A Term Too Many: Protesters Tell Algerian Leader It’s Time to Go

The building unrest has heaped pressure on the government of the OPEC member, which has been struggling to cope with a litany of grievances, such as high unemployment among a predominantly youth population. Bouteflika, who was incapacitated by a stroke in 2013, still has support for bringing Algeria together following a decade long civil war in the 1990s, but the protesters say it’s time he retire.

The North African nation, which avoided the violence and unrest that gripped Arab Spring neighbors, is bracing for nationwide rallies on Friday, scheduled to be held after the weekly noon prayers. Previous demonstrations have been mostly peaceful, but police have used tear gas in Algiers.

The government says Algerians have a right to protest. But the ruling coalition has shown no sign that it would listen to their demands, with Bouteflika submitting his candidacy papers this week.

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