The snowball does not stop rolling in Algeria in the absence of opportunities for a breakthrough due to the hardening of the positions by both the authorities and the Hirak.
While tens of thousands of Algerians took to the streets in the capital and a number of cities and governorates, on the 107th Friday of the popular protest movement, the authorities continue to implement their roadmap through a series of consultations between the presidency and political parties.
Amid tight security measures, thousands of Algerians came out to demand comprehensive political change, the exit of the current regime and the rejection of the roadmap adopted by the authorities.
The authorities have mobilised extensive human and logistical resources to prevent protesters from participating in street demonstrations, in addition to blocking Internet access so as to prevent photos and video recordings of political protests from circulating widely.
The crackdown resulted in dozens of arrests in a number of cities, such as Bou Saada, Batna, and Wadi Souf..
After a truce imposed by the coronavirus pandemic last year, protests returned to Algerian streets where social demands related to development and jobs were intertwined with political calls for the exit of the regime.
The authorities seem to have failed to use the truce to reassure Algerians. Accordingly, street unrest boiled up as the regime seemed mired in a vicious circle.
The situation showed that nothing has changed since the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika under the pressure of protesters.
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In parallel to the demonstrations, President Abdelmajid Tebboune has continued to implement the authorities’ roadmap by opening a series of consultations with the political class. There was no detailed information about the substance of the talks and their exact purpose.
A statement by the presidency of the republic said that President Tebboune “received President of the Algerian Renewal Party Kamal Bensalem, Secretary-General of the National Democratic Rally Party Tayeb Zitouni, and, Acting Chairman of the Vanguards of Freedoms Party Abdelkader Saadi, amid consultations that the President is conducting with the leaders of political parties “.
The leaders of the three parties were unanimous, in statements they made after their meetings with Tebboune, in their support for the authorities’ path leading to early elections and the desire to set up new state institutions that enjoy popular legitimacy.
The head of the Algerian Renewal Party Kamal Bensalem, called for “participation (of political actors) in the project to build a new Algeria, which President Abdelmajid Tebboune has initiated. Because it is the only solution to bring in change and build the rule of law”.
Alluding to his party’s disagreement with those in favour of continued political protests, he expressed his regret that “some parties criticise this project even though it is still in the beginning”. He said that in his meeting with the president, he spelled out his “vision for the future and for overcoming the current problems, especially in conjunction with the project of building a new Algeria.”
On its part, the Vanguards of Freedoms Party stressed the difficulty of organising early legislative and local elections on the same day. Abdelkader Saadi declared after meeting with Tebboune that “it is difficult from a practical perspective to organise legislative and local elections the same day.”
He added, “I have informed President Tebboune of the difficulty of organising these two entitlements (legislative and local elections) the same day, from a practical perspective, especially with regard to the vote counting process, which can take a long time. This could affect the credibility of the electoral process and the confidence of citizen.”
Thousands of people in Algeria hit streets in anti-government protests as the "Hirak" pro-democracy movement gathers renewed momentum after a-year-long pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic pic.twitter.com/AtgpOW2cgO
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The acting leader of the Vanguards of Freedoms Party extolled what he called “the traditions that Tebboune in trying to establish at the level of continuous consultation with representatives of the media and the political class” .
He expressed the hope that “these consultations will continue in the future and extend to the discussion of various issues.”
This article has been adapted from its original source.
