Barristers in Algeria have joined the ongoing strike action on Monday. The strike is a protest against incumbent President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term in office.
The lawyers duly launched a 48-hour walkout to demand that the Constitutional Council reject Bouteflika’s re-election bid on the grounds that he is incapable of carrying out the role.
The Council has been issued an ultimatum of Thursday to rule on candidates for Algeria’s April 18 election. Magistrates have been compelled to join the strike, but the Justice Minister, Tayeb Louh has stressed they were duty-bound to remain neutral.
The 82-year-old president suffered a stroke in 2013, he has since been going out of Algeria on routine medical checks. Demonstrations against Bouteflika’s bid for another term have brought tens of thousands of protesters onto Algeria’s streets.
Bouteflika has been in power since 1999 and has rarely appeared in public since his stroke. He has since been confided in a wheelchair. The president is yet to make a public comment since his return to the country.
