Abdelaziz Bouteflika wins fourth presidential term in Algeria

After independence in 1962, Bouteflika became deputy of Tlemcen in the Constituent Assembly and Minister for Youth and Sport in the government led by Ahmed Ben Bella; the following year, he was appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs. He was later a prime mover in the military coup led by Houari Boumédienne that overthrew Ben Bella on 19 June 1965.

Bouteflika continued as Minister for Foreign Affairs until the death of President Boumédienne in 1978.

When in 1999, Zéroual unexpectedly stepped down and announced early elections, Bouteflika ran in the presidential and won. He was elected with 74% of the votes, according to the official count. 

Illness

Bouteflika was admitted to a hospital in France on 26 November 2005, reportedly suffering from a gastric ulcer haemorrhage, and discharged three weeks later. However, the length of time for which Bouteflika remained virtually incommunicado led to rumours that he was critically ill with stomach cancer.He checked into the hospital again in April 2006.

A leaked diplomatic cable reveals that by the end of 2008, Bouteflika had developed stomach cancer. In spring and summer 2013, Boutflika stayed near four months in a hospital in Paris dealing with health problems.

Fourth presidential term

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has won a fourth term in office taking more than 81% of the vote, the interior minister has said on Friday.

The 77-year-old leader, who suffered a stroke last year and rarely appears in public, cast his vote in a wheelchair in Thursday's presidential election.

He beat his five other opponents without personally campaigning.

Turnout was said to be 51.7% of the country's 23 million registered voters, down from the 75% in 2009.

A coalition of Islamist and secular opposition parties had called for a boycott, describing the election as a sham and saying Bouteflika was unfit to run because of his health problems.

Three other presidential candidates pulled out of the race soon after Bouteflika's candidacy was announced, saying the result would be a foregone conclusion.

His re-election bid also spawned a protest movement called Barakat, meaning "Enough", which has been holding small demonstrations around the country.

Bouteflika's main challenger, Ali Benflis, received 12% of the vote, Interior Minister Tayeb Belaiz said.

"The people have chosen freely, in a climate that was transparent and neutral," the AFP news agency quotes him as saying. 

Benflis, who ran Bouteflika's campaign in 1999, has rejected the result, alleging "serious irregularities".

Correspondents say supporters of the president were already celebrating his victory on Thursday evening, with fireworks in the capital Algiers.

Bouteflika took office in 1999 when Algeria was still caught up in a civil war between the military and Islamist militants, and has been credited by supporters for curbing the conflict and restoring some economic stability.

He scrapped constitutional rules in 2008 limiting him to two terms in office, and won elections the following year with 90% of the vote.

Ahmed Benbitour also doubts the legitimacy of the election. The former prime minister originally announced his candidacy for president early this year, but ultimately decided against running when he heard that Bouteflika was planning his fourth term. 'I withdrew my candidacy shortly before the election campaign began,' explained Benbitour. 'I realized that that the game had already been decided.'

Benbitour said that for health reasons, Bouteflika should not have been allowed to run again. The Algerian president has been sitting in a wheelchair since suffering a stroke more than a year ago, and is barely able to communicate. His election campaign was run by others; the president gave not one single speech.

As for governing - out of the question, said Faycal Metaoui, a journalist with the daily El Watan newspaper. 'You can't ask a sick man to guarantee the stability of the country. That's not normal!,' he said, outraged. 'Bouteflika is simply there to give the power a face. He's the president, but he just sits there like a piece of furniture. In fact, it's the army which has been guaranteeing the country's stability.'