President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria resigned on Tuesday, ending weeks of speculation and confrontation. He followed the announcement with an emotional farewell letter to the Algerian people that recounted the successes of his long tenure but asked their forgiveness for his failings too. “Soon, Algeria will have a new president,…
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria postponed the nation’s April 18 election on Monday, and said in a statement that he would no longer run for re-election after serving four terms. State news agency Algeria Press Service shared Bouteflika’s message with the nation, following the 82-year-old leader’s return from medical treatment…
Reports from Switzerland suggest Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika may be headed home after two weeks of medical care, a trip that’s kept him outside of a country in turmoil over his bid for a fifth term. Agence France Presse shared video late Sunday afternoon that showed the same convoy that…
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika issued a statement Sunday seeking to reassure an Algeria in turmoil that he hears the concerns of thousands of protesters, and will remain a candidate in upcoming elections but then institute reforms and shepherd a transition to new leadership. “The commitments I make before you will, of…
Young Algerians took to the streets on Friday to protest the possibility of a fifth term for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the ailing 81-year-old who has been Algeria’s leader since 1999. The marches in Algiers, Oran, Sidi Bel Abbès and beyond featured signs and slogans to oppose another term for the…
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria confirmed on Sunday his intentions to run for a fifth term, one day after his National Liberation Front party said the 81-year-old will run again. Bouteflika’s bid, announced on the Algeria Press Service state news channels, included the promise that if elected he would begin…
Speculation over a possible fifth term for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is running high in Algeria, where a spokesman for Democratic National Rally (RND) party – a key coalition member of the country’s presidential alliance – said Wednesday that he’ll announce a decision next week. Chihab Seddik, speaking with Algerian outlet…
It’s been a year since Diane Shima Rwigara, the Rwandan opposition candidate who dared to challenge President Paul Kagame, went missing with her mother Adeline. They remain detained and are formally charged with trying to overthrow the government. The anniversary, coupled with the recent East African outcry over Afrobeats artist…
Egypt extended its voting times on Wednesday, the last of three days in the nationwide elections, after lines at the polls swelled following a last-minute announcement by the country’s National Election Authority that registered voters who failed to participate faced a fine. The directive found in an NEA guidelines publication…
Voting in Egypt’s presidential election begins on Monday, but it’s appeared for months unlikely that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will risk any loss. Interior Ministry officials said Sunday they’re taking the final steps to secure 11,000 polling stations, which open at 9 a.m. for the first of three days of voting….
Fourteen human rights organizations, including the global Human Rights Watch NGO, have called on Western governments to speak out against presidential elections in Egypt they describe as “farcical.” “The United States, European Union, and European states, which provide substantial financial assistance to the Egyptian government, should consistently integrate human rights…
As yet it’s still unclear exactly what happened to Egyptian politician Hisham Geneina on Saturday, but the country’s opposition leaders say it’s another attempt at intimidation by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi as he pushes for a second term. Widely circulated images of the former auditor, who served a brief jail sentence last…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times