Algeria’s University Students Continue Protesting in Request for Radical Regime Change

Arab World

December 25th, 9:58am

Algiers - Boualem Goumrassa

Demonstrators participated in the marches in the capital, Algiers, on Tuesday, December 24, 2019, holding banners saying “No to the military regime” (Reuters)

Thousands of Algerian students stormed the streets on Tuesday demanding a radical regime change. They affirmed that demonstrations will not stop until their demands on having freedom and democratization are fulfilled. Meanwhile, calls have been demanding a pause for the rallies after sudden death of the country’s army chief. The Algerian street is also facing a great division on late Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah’s military path and relation with the civil rule. Tuesday marked the 44th week of protests in which people from all ages participated and roamed the streets calling for a “democratic state,” “independent justice” and “free press.” “A civilian state not a military state” the protesters chanted at the rally, a slogan that was strongly rejected by Salah. They chanted “No dialogue,” rejecting the new president’s invitation for talks, and said they would continue protests that brought millions onto the streets early this year and tens of thousands in recent months. Last week, the new president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, was inaugurated following an election that the army had pushed for, but which the opposition had denounced as illegitimate so long as the old guard of rulers still held sway. He immediately offered dialogue with the protesters, but although some urged the movement to accept his proposal, others denounced it and rejected Tebboune’s legitimacy as president. According to journalists who followed the students’ march, their numbers were lower compared to the week before due to a division in the student organizations. Salah’s death, at a key moment in the crisis after this month’s disputed presidential election, had prompted debate among many protesters over whether they should press on with their weekly march or postpone it. Some considered it "shameful" to protest this week, while others said that the protests were “directed against a regime and not one of its symbols,” and therefore must carry on.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2051731/algeria%E2%80%99s-university-students-continue-protesting-request-radical-regime-change