Ailing 82-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for fifth term in office has sparked widespread demonstrations.

Tens of thousands of Algerians have taken to the streets of the capital, Algiers, as part of the biggest rallies yet against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term.

The latest protest on Friday came after weeks of anti-Bouteflika demonstrations – the largest displays of discontent in the North African country since the 2011 Arab Spring – sparked by the 82-year-old leader’s announcement that he would stand for re-election on April 18.

Bouteflika has been all but absent from the public eye since suffering a debilitating stroke in 2013, prompting critics to question whether he is being used as a puppet by a shadowy cabal of civilian and military figures close to the wheelchair-bound president.

Meanwhile, the ongoing protests against the war veteran have made clear that, to many Algerians, his candidacy is an insult.

Watch the video above to find out how Algeria got to this point. 

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