“L'après-Bouteflika”: The Army, the People and the Prospects for Reform in Algeria

Since February 2019 and President Bouteflika’s announcement that he intended to stand for a fifth term, hundreds of thousands of protesters have descended upon Algeria’s streets to demand his resignation. In the face of pressure from the street and the army, Bouteflika, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013, finally stepped down after 20 years in power on 2 April. Hugh Roberts, expert in Algerian constitutional law and its political regime, will explore the implications of ‘L’Après-Bouteflika’: the prospects that now exist for Algeria's political and economic future. Recorded on 3 May 2019. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Hugh Roberts, a specialist on North African and particularly Algerian history and politics, founded the Society for Algerian Studies in 1992. He was its Secretary from 1992 to 2001 and has been its Vice President since 2002. He is currently the Edward Keller Professor of North African and Middle Eastern History at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, having taken up this post in January 2012.