Algiers and several cities on Friday are witnessing popular protests in which thousands of people are demanding the departure of the regime and the accountability of corruption figures on the first Friday after the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Massive crowds of demonstrators gathered in the center of the Algerian capital chanting slogans that refused to take over the former confidantes of the outgoing president.
This is the case of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Abdul Qader bin Saleh, the second-in-command of the State, the President of the Constitutional Council, Tayeb Belaiz, and Prime Minister Noureddine Badawi.
Abdelkader Ben Salih, who has headed the National Assembly for 16 years with the support of Bouteflika, has been charged with replacing the president for three months during which he is preparing for presidential elections.
El Tayeb Belaiz, who has been a minister for almost 16 years, headed for the second time in his career the constitutional council charged with ensuring the integrity of the elections.
Prime Minister Noureddine Badawi, who took office on March 11, was Bouteflika's loyal interior minister. The French-language daily al-Watan on Thursday described him as "the architect of election fraud and the enemy of freedoms."
On the other hand, the Algerian media reported that the director of the intelligence service Osman Taratouk left office, amid conflicting news about his resignation or dismissal.