Louisa Hanoun, the popular leader of the small Workers' Party, hopes to boost women's rights in a country emerging from a decade of fundamentalist Islamic violence.

"Now that peace is back, I have decided to run for the presidency," Hanoun told supporters.

The election April 8 will test the North African country's move toward greater democracy and comes as rebel violence continues to fall after a decade of bloodshed in which more than 150,000 people were killed, according to human rights groups.

The violence -- mostly at the hands of Islamic rebels -- was sparked by the annulment of legislative elections that a radical Islamic party was set to win in 1992.

The Japan Times Weekly: Feb. 28, 2004
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