The Quick Read on the Protests in Algeria

What Happened This Week:
Protests continue to rock Algeria, an energy-rich country that hasn’t experienced demonstrations of this magnitude in decades. The trigger is the decision of the sitting president—Abdelaziz Bouteflika—to run for a fifth term. In defiance of the protests, Bouteflika went ahead and filed the paperwork to run again for Algeria’s presidency this week. Or rather, a proxy of his did—more on that below.

What Happened This Week: Protests continue to rock Algeria, an energy-rich country that hasn’t experienced demonstrations of this magnitude in decades. The trigger is the decision of the sitting president—Abdelaziz Bouteflika—to run for a fifth term. In defiance of the protests, Bouteflika went ahead and filed the paperwork to run again for Algeria’s presidency this week. Or rather, a proxy of his did—more on that below.