Bagging It: Algerians Trash Presidential Candidates

A new feature took to the streets of Algeria this week along with the official start of campaigning for next month’s presidential election: trash bags. Algerians, who have been holding massive weekly protests in favor of a new system of governance, are hanging the bags instead of political posters, according to The New Arab, a London-based pan-Arab website, hoping to show their displeasure with the candidates. The protests began earlier this year with word of the candidacy of ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, but after his ouster by the military, they morphed into a more composite effort aimed at ridding the country of Bouteflika’s cronies and others seen as being among a deeply entrenched power elite. Elections have been postponed twice this year in light of the upheaval, with polling now scheduled for December 12. All five of the candidates are seen as having had close ties to Bouteflika.