Image copyright AFP Image caption President Bouteflika's last known public address to Algerians was in 2014For many Algerians it is difficult to understand how their 82-year-old president, who suffered a stroke six years ago and can hardly walk or talk, can run the country. Many worry that a failure to find a successor to President Bouteflika, who came to power in 1999, could lead to instability should he die in office. Divisions run deepYet again, however, the president, who won elections in 2014 despite doing no personal campaigning, does not have any strong challengers. Image copyright AFP Image caption Demonstrators defaced a sign taken to represent President Bouteflika, who uses a wheelchairThe violence left an estimated 150,000 Algerians dead, some of whom were "forcibly disappeared" by the security forces. On Sunday, President Bouteflika again offered dialogue - and constitutional reform in the event of his re-election as a way forward.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 06, 2019 00:33 UTC