Demonstrations took place in Algiers and other provinces to demand the departure of symbols of the regime of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the fight against corruption, and the rejection of the presidential elections.
Protesters refuse to hold elections under the existing system. Interim Algerian President Abdelkader Bensalah announced that the presidential elections will be held on December 12th.
In Blida (far north of Algeria), new demonstrations demanding the change of all symbols of Bouteflika's regime before any elections were held, and the demonstrators stressed their continued mobility until all the demands of the protesters were fulfilled.
Hit the confidence
On Thursday, the Algerian army leadership condemned the "attempt by the gang" (former regime) to "strike strong confidence" between the people and the army by raising the slogan "civil state, not military," and saw it as an attempt to "destroy the foundations of the national state."
Lieutenant-General Ahmed Kayed Saleh said on Thursday that since Algeria's independence in 1962 from French colonialism, the national army had been "vulnerable to frenzied campaigns through controversy aroused by suspicious circles about the role and status of the army in society."
The leadership of the army in an independent Algeria is one of the pillars of power, and plays an important role in the decision-making mechanism, and even some observers say it constitutes the "real power" in the country.
Since the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on April 4, 2019 under pressure from a protest movement and the army, Qaid Saleh appears to be the country's strongman at the expense of interim President Abdelkader Bensalah.