Hundreds of Algerians took to the streets in the capital Algiers on Wednesday, to step up pressure on the authorities to cancel the December presidential election, reported Reuters.
The protesters have continued with weekly protests on Tuesdays and Fridays since February, but now they appear eager to increase their street presence in the run-up to the vote.
The protesters chanted “No vote, no vote” while marching through the main streets of Algiers as security forces tried to disperse them.
Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah announced the December 12 presidential elections under pressure from the Algerian army which sees the election as the only way to restore normality and quell the protests.
The protests started in February after veteran President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced that he wished to stand for another term in an election that was originally scheduled for July. Hundreds of thousands of people marched in Algiers and other towns and cities demanding Bouteflika to step down. They also called out the rest of the old ruling elite that had governed since independence from France in 1962 to quit power.
While Bouteflika finally stepped aside in April as the army withdrew its support, the protesters decided to continue with the demonstrations until all of Bouteflika’s close aides including interim President Bensalah and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui are out of power. They have decided to reject any election that takes place while old members of the ruling elite remain in place, saying it could not be fair.
The five candidates who are running in the upcoming election are all former senior officials. the list includes the names of former Prime Ministers Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Ali Benflis, former Culture Minister Azzedine Mihoubi, former Tourism Minister Abdelkader Bengrine and Abdelaziz Belaid, head of the El Mostakbal Movement party.
The Algerian army has repeatedly vowed to maintain complete transparency in the election, saying the military would not back any candidate.
