Thousands of the Hirak movement returned to the streets of the Algerian capital on Friday as they demanded significant changes to the country’s government and political system, chanting slogans such as “let the system fall.”
The supporters of the Hirak movement that pushed out former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019 after 20 years in power made their way through Algiers. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune recently announced early parliamentary elections in June bringing them forward from next year.
The protests, however, have not subsided. Tebboune announced last month that he would dissolve parliament to open the way for a new batch of candidates from outside the establishment. He also reshuffled the government and released around 30 detained activists, though dozens more remain jailed.
The Hirak activists are pressing for a full makeover of the opaque system governing Algeria, with the military in the shadows, which has been at the helm since the country won its independence war against coloniser France in 1962.
Sisanda Mpiti.
