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Algerian interim president Abdelkader Bensalah called for a national dialogue to prepare the deferred presidential elections, promising that the state and the military would remain neutral in the process.
What does this proposal mean in a country torn apart by months of anti-government protests that led to the resignation in April of veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika?
How it works?
In a speech on Wednesday, he did not set a timetable for launching negotiations. But he said "that this dialogue … will be conducted freely and transparently by independent national figures who have credibility and are not related to any party".
"The state in all its components, including the military, will not participate in this dialogue and will remain neutral throughout," added Bensalah.
His comments were a clear response to protesters who had been invading the streets of the Algerian capital and other towns and villages since February, initially against Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term.
Even after the sick president resigned in April, protesters continued to gather, demanding that the main supporters of Bouteflika's 20-year regime – such as Bensalah – step down before any new elections to elect his successor.
"It was a beautiful speech" but "we prefer to wait to see how this initiative will be implemented," said Ahmed Sodok, a member of the Movement for the Society for Peace (MSP), the main Islamist opposition party.
Why now?
Bensalah made this proposal on the eve of the 57th anniversary of Algeria's independence from French rule and before the 20th consecutive Friday of anti-government protests.
His offer comes just days before the expiry of his interim mandate on 9 July, in accordance with the constitution, which provides for a 90-day deadline for new presidential elections to be held.
Following his appointment by legislators on April 9, Bensalah pledged to hold a "transparent" presidential election, but a vote scheduled for July 4 was dropped after both candidates were rejected.
During the weekly protests, protesters chanted: "No elections with this ruling gang".
But in his speech, Bensalah urged the protesters to set aside "unrealistic requirements that could prolong the current situation and drag our country into a" constitutional void ".
Who will rule after July 9?
Bensalah has already declared that "because of the" exceptional situation "of Algeria, he had no choice but to extend his term as head of state until the end of his term. In the new presidential election.
After July 9, he will therefore remain acting president, a situation that, according to historian and Algerian expert Karima Direche, will be totally "outside the framework" provided by the constitution.
Protesters have repeatedly called on Bensalah and other officials of the Bouteflika era to step down, but they believe that the real agent of power today in Algeria is the head of the government. army, Ahmed Gaid Salah.
Gaid Salah was an ally of the sick president, but under increasing pressure from protesters, he finally called for the dismissal of the long-time leader.
Conditions of dialogue
"It will all depend" on who is chosen to take part in the dialogue proposed by the interim president, said Abdelouahab Fersaoui, chairman of the civil society group Rally for Youth Action.
Sociologist Nacer Djabi said protesters were wary of the authorities and drew up a list of demands before agreeing to participate in any national dialogue.
At the top of their list, the authorities put an end to the arbitrary detention of protesters at weekly rallies and gave protesters air time on public television.
Can the offer make changes?
Authorities must act because the situation can not "last long", said Direche.
According to her, the current Algerian leaders have believed in vain that they could convince the demonstrators, during the interim period of three months, the need to hold fast elections to find a successor to Bouteflika.
If Bensalah's offer is rejected, Gaid Salah could accept "the creation of an autonomous entity (which would allow him) to take over the interim presidency," Direche said.
"It's a plausible scenario."
But Algeria could be dragged into a deeper crisis, including violence, she added, insisting that after weeks of demonstrations, it is time "to find a political solution".
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