Algeria’s Bouteflika slams opposition’s calls for him not to run for 5th term

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has slammed opposition groups who are calling on him to step down and not to run for a fifth term in the election scheduled for April 2019.

Bouteflika said in a letter delivered on his behalf by caretaker of the president’s office, Habba Al-Aqbi, yesterday that “adventurers who advocate for the culture of oblivion, denial and arrogance can never build and construct. They want to push the country into the unknown”.

In his letter, Bouteflika said: “It is natural today that sleeping cells target the country’s stability to discourage its will.”

Bouteflika was referring to a number of political initiatives launched by opposition parties to achieve democratic transition in the country, including calls for the army’s intervention.

READ: Algeria’s Bouteflika eases grip of military with dismissal of generals

Who’s really in charge in Algeria – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]