Algerians Protest Bouteflika’s Fifth Term Bid, Question President’s Origins

17 February 2019 – byAmine · 1 min read

Several regions in Algeria have seen a large number of protesters take to the streets against Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s decision to run for a fifth term. He is called "Bouteflika the Moroccan".

Many protesters in Béjaia, Bourj Bouarirej and Tizi Ouzou came out on the streets on Saturday, February 16, to demonstrate against Bouteflika’s candidacy for a fifth term as president of Algeria. They accuse him of being... Moroccan.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika was born in Morocco, more precisely in the Oriental, in Oujda, 82 years ago. This has been used by the protesters, where for example in Kherrata, in the wilaya of Béjaia, people chanted: "Oh Bouteflika the Moroccan, no fifth term". The protesters also sang the song of the Rajawi public "Fi Bladi Dalmouni".

As Le360 recalls, Bouteflika has always denied his Moroccanness and there is no mention of his birth in Oujda in his official biography. The media recalls that Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel is also one of those who would be nicknamed: the Oujda clan.