This archive report was first published on 20 July 2019.
On Friday, tens of thousands of Algerians took to the streets in the capital Algiers and other cities to demand radical political reforms and the departure of the ruling elite.
Protesters, who had previously forced President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to end his 20-year-rule on April 2, are now seeking more freedoms and the removal of the remaining symbols of the old guard.
Chanting “A new democratic republic and a state of law”, protesters held up banners reading: “They all go”, “Our demands are legitimate” and “It is time to listen to the voice of the street”.
Despite the Algerian army's efforts to hold a presidential election as a way out of the crisis, authorities had postponed a vote previously planned for July 4, citing a lack of candidates. No new date has been set for the vote.
Protests continue to demand the removal of officials the demonstrators see as part of an elite that has governed the nation of 44 million people since independence from France in 1962.
Anti-government protests now seek the resignation of interim president Abdelkader Bensalah, a former head of the upper house of parliament, and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui.
“There is no solution but to bring new people to rule our wealthy country,” said 37-year-old school teacher Ahmed Chami, marching in Algiers. “Our pressure will continue”.
