A crowded crowd marched Friday (July 26th) in Algiers for the 23rd week in a row, surrounded by a large police force, and blasted the commission appointed by Algerian interim president Abdelkader Bensalah. A body of six "personalities" to oversee a national dialogue.
In the streets squared by the police, the demonstrators chanted "the people want independence", or "there are tired of the generals", in reference to the central place occupied by the army in the apparatus of power since independence.
His chief of staff, General Ahmed Gaïd Salah, has also become the true strongman of the country since the resignation on April 2, after 20 years at the head of the State, of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, confronted by a protest movement unpublished.
Impossible to evaluate precisely in the absence of official counting, the mobilization remained strong Friday, but was less massive than during the gigantic processions of the first months of protest, triggered on February 22nd.
"We refuse dialogue with the 'gang'"
Appointed Thursday in the "panel of mediation", Karim Younes, former president of the lower house and former minister of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, joined General Gaïd Salah and the acting president among the targets of protesters who notably chanted: "Karim Younes, clear".
Karim Younes says "he wants to lead the dialogue with the people, whereas in 2001, he was a member of the government when the demonstrations against power were repressed in the blood in Kabylie", during the "Black Spring" which has makes 126 dead, protests Mohamed, official of 44 years, came from Béjaïa, 180 km east of Algiers.
"We refuse the dialogue with the 'gang'" in power, proclaims on a sign Farid, real estate agent of 51 years, for which the six members of the panel "seek positions".
The panel "aims to implement the roadmap of Bensalah (...) whose sole and only objective is to organize the presidential", analysis Hmimi Bouider, 33 years.
Conditions imposed on Abdelkader Bensalah
The economist and president of the association Algerian Export Council (ACE), Smail Lalmas, who was demonstrating Friday in Algiers, was surrounded by protesters accusing him of having agreed to sit on the panel. "I am among those who are against the dialogue (...) with the regime", but the role of the panel is to organize "a dialogue with personalities, parties, trade unionists, people of 'Hirak'", the protest movement, he defended himself.
He specified that conditions had been put to Abdelkader Bensalah: dismissal of the government of Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, release of persons arrested in connection with the challenge, binding decision of the panel, among others. "If these conditions are not met, we will not go to dialogue," he said.
Since the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the "Hirak" refuses that his former faithful still in power - Abdelkader Bensalah and General Gaid Salah in the lead - organize the presidential election to elect his successor, and calls for their departure before any election.
Initially convened on 4 July, the presidential election could not be organized because of lack of candidates.
With AFP