[ad_1]
A large crowd of Algerians descended on the streets of the capital Friday, where dozens of people were arrested before the last protest two months after the resignation of its leader, Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Protesters invaded Algiers city center chanting slogans against an attempt to hold presidential elections in July and rejecting calls for dialogue launched by the chief of the armed forces.
"No elections with this ruling gang," the crowd shouted.
The protesters seek to keep the pressure on the ruling elite of the North African state with weekly rallies despite the end of Bouteflika's reign over the last two decades.
The police had previously gathered some fifty people, mostly young men, in the heart of Algiers before the planned protest.
The arrested people saw their identity cards and cell phones confiscated and were loaded into vans, an AFP reporter reported.
Protesters who take to the streets demand the resignation of all those who are contaminated by links with the old regime.
Local journalists reported that people were present in other major cities of the country, namely Oran, Constantine and Annaba.
The head of the armed forces, Ahmed Gaid Salah, became the main funder of badault after badaulting his boss Bouteflika and helped him to get up from his duties despite mbad protests.
It is pushing for elections on July 4, but the protesters insist that it takes a deep change of senior officials before a new vote can take place.
Only two little-known personalities submitted their nominations in time for the disputed ballot, raising doubts about the plans for staging it.
The Constitutional Council has until June 5 to decide whether to approve the two candidates, who need the support of at least 600 elected or 60,000 voters to be able to vote.
The rallies that broke out throughout the country in February after Bouteflika announced his intention to run for re-election were largely tolerated by security officials overwhelmed by the crowd.
Last Friday, police made numerous arrests in downtown Algiers of protesters carrying placards and the national flag.
The crowd this week made a minute of silence for human rights activist Kamel Eddine Fekhar, before shouting at the chants, accusing the authorities of his death in detention on Tuesday.
Fekhar, a militant of the Berber Mozabite minority, was in custody for "attacks on institutions" and had been on hunger strike since March.
The Justice Ministry announced that it was investigating his death after his lawyer complained of being kept in "inhumane conditions".
Source link
