In view of his frail health, Bouteflika hasn’t spoken in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. And while the country is in turmoil, protesting his fifth term in office; he is believed to be hospitalized in Switzerland. His candidacy letter was met with protests, which started on Sunday night and continued to Monday with students taking to the streets. Bouteflika, confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak intelligibly, is unrelenting in his obstinacy to a presidency for life. Opposition parties have issued a joint release calling on all candidates to withdraw from sham elections whose result is set in advance in favor of Bouteflika, the regime’s candidate.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 05, 2019 14:37 UTC