Is Bouteflika’s resignation enough to quell Algerian protests?
With further protests planned later this week, it is becoming increasingly clear that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation is unlikely to mark a neat conclusion to this tumultuous period in Algeria’s history.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation on April 2 came as a surprise to no one. A mass protest movement, unparalleled within much of the country’s history, has maintained relentless pressure on the ailing 82-year-old president, driving fissures between him, much of the country’s historically closeted political establishment and the bulwark of Algeria’s political power base: the army.
News of Bouteflika’s departure was greeted with celebrations throughout the country. Following a rare appearance on state television where a clearly weakened Bouteflika relinquished power, crowds filled the streets of the capital, with individuals brandishing the Algerian flag and passing cars sounding their horns.
However, amid the tumult was the keen awareness that the campaign to overthrow Algeria’s entrenched power base — the "pouvoir" — had only been partly won, with further demonstrations planned for April 5 to continue the popular advance against Algeria’s ingrained power structures.
“The popular movement did many things to keep up the pressure and force the government to leave for the first time!” Khalil Che, a protester, told Al-Monitor.
