41 held over protests against re-election bid

Security forces in Algeria arrested 41 people during protests in the capital Algiers against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term in office.Police forces on Friday used water cannon and tear gas against the protesters as they made their way towards the presidential palace in Algiers.The General Directorate for National Security said in a statement yesterday carried by official news agency APS that it arrested 41 people during the protests over “public disorder, assaulting forces and damaging property.” Earlier this month, Bouteflika, who has ruled the North African country since 1999, announced his intention to seek a new five-year term in the elections scheduled for April 18.The announcement was met with protests across the country. The 81-year-old suffered a stroke in 2013 and is rarely seen in public. He is scheduled to travel to Geneva today “to conduct regular medical check-ups,” the presidency announced on Thursday.Bouteflika is the only president in North Africa who was spared in the pro-democracy uprisings of the Arab Spring that started in neighbouring Tunisia in 2010.