Imposition of election date signals end to Algerian government patience
Algerians protested the decision to hold elections in December as their demands are left unmet and many activists and opposition members linger in jail.
After more than 30 consecutive weeks of demonstrations and political stalemate, all indications are that Algeria’s ruling elite is preparing to call time on the protest movement, the Hirak, which ended the rule of a longstanding president and the careers of scores of highly placed politicians and officials.
Establishment attitudes have been hardening for some time toward the protests, which been led by young people for the most part, with arrests growing in number and the occasional skirmishes between security forces and demonstrators increasing in frequency.
In the face of a barrage of discordant voices calling for the ouster of the government and the establishment of a fresh electoral body, acting President Abdelkader Bensalah announced new elections for Dec. 12. Bensalah’s call came after the army chief, Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah, insisted that polls go ahead in 2019. Salah is a bete noire for many within the protest movement.
The reaction from the street was almost instantaneous. On Sept. 17, Algerians rallied by the hundreds, chanting, “We will not stop our protests” and “Civilian state, no military state,” as well as calling for the resignation of both Bensalah and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, a move suggested last week.
