Mass protests against Algeria’s rulers resume

Hundreds of Algerians poured onto the streets for the 13th consecutive Friday demanding the departure of Algeria‘s leaders, more than a month after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika quit.

Massive ongoing protests calling for a change of leadership pressured Bouteflika to resign on April 2, but his exit after two decades in power has failed to satisfy demonstrators, who want to sweep away the remnants of Bouteflika’s inner circle and make sure the old guard cannot hand-pick a new president.

On Friday, they called for the resignations of the interim president, Abdelkader Bensalah, and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, appointed by Bouteflika days before he stepped down. 

“No to elections of shame. Remove Bensalah and Bedoui first,” read one banner held up in downtown Algiers. Another banner read: “No the rule of generals”.

The weekly protests have become a key means of maintaining pressure on the government as huge crowds have brought the centre of the capital Algiers and other key cities to a standstill. 

The army is currently overseeing a 90-day transitional period and has promised to hold presidential elections on July 4.

The Constitutional Council, which is overseeing the transition, was expected to issue a statement on the election process. 

The deadline for would-be presidential candidates to collect and submit 60,000 signatures is May 25.