Algeria locked in a harrowing political impasse

(14 Sep 2019) Students living in Algeria took to the streets in the country's capital city Algiers on Tuesday to campaign for democracy in the country which has been without a president for five months.

Algeria, which is Africa's largest country, has not had an elected president since April after it's former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned.

The country's army, which at present carries the most authority, wants to break the deadlock by holding the election.

With 65 percent of Algeria's population being under the age of 30, it's students who have been the driving force behind the demonstrations which have been taking place every Tuesday for 29 weeks.

Abdenour Ait Said, Abdeldjabar Bennouna and Idir Attal are technology students in their twenties and have been taking part in the protests from the beginning.

"We are in the 21st century! We want a new Algeria. An Algeria based on the youth. We want this new Algeria to be strong and have strong institutions in all areas," said Abdenour Ait Said, who is 23-years-old.

They're frustrated with what they see as an undemocratic government and voting system and say they fear that if another election were to take place, it would be rigged.

"We cannot trust those who have already falsified elections. They falsified over 6 million votes when it was (former President Abdelaziz) Bouteflika's fifth term. I would never be able to trust these people. I don't believe that they will make sure the next president is the one people truly want," said Idir Attal, who is also 23-years-old.

"We have to keep in mind that since the independence in 1962, none of the elections have been a real change in the political system," explained sociologist Nacer Djabi.

"They have never been able to install a proper legitimate power and institutions," he added.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to resign after 20 years in office following widespread protests.

Top members of Bouteflika's inner circle, including his younger brother, are now all jailed, along with leading industrialists.

The army chief, General Ahmed Gaid Salah, is pushing to fill the political vacuum fast and wants interim leader Abdelkader Bensalah to announce a date for a presidential election by Sunday.

That means, according to the constitution, voting would take place in mid-December.

But there is no clear consensus on how to proceed.

Aside from the students' protest, there have been larger demonstrations taking place every Friday organised by the rest of the electorate.

And with protesters chanting "There will be no vote, we swear we won't go and vote," and "No to an election with current regime" if a new election is imposed, it's likely to cause further unrest.



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