More protest rallies were held on Friday with tens of thousands of Algerians attending as they put pressure on their 82 year old president to quit.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has remained defiant insisting he will remain in power beyond his term expiring next month.
Elections were supposed to have taken place next month to choose a new president. Bouteflika had filed to contest that election but rescinded his decision at the peak of protests.
He then called for the suspension of the elections. Many were hoping he will let go the presidency in order to restore calm to the country.
But he has not done so with citizens believing the only way to force him out is through sustained protests.
Thousands of them defied heavy rains on Friday brandished Algerian flags as they gathered in the capital Algiers.
A demonstrator told Reuters that “rain will not prevent us from continuing pressure.”
“We stay here until the whole system goes,” another protester told Reuters.
Protesters believe they will soon get what they want and Bouteflika will be gone.
No signal of an exit
But there is no clear signal the 82 year old leader wants to leave power immediately and allow for fresh elections to pick his successor.
Bouteflika is confined to a wheel-chair and medically unwell. He said in a statement this week that he hopes “that Algeria experiences, in the near future, a harmonious transition and assists handing over the reins to a new generation.”
His statement continued that “this is the ultimate goal that I have committed to making a reality before the end of my presidential journey, at your side and at your service”.
There is no clarity when his national conference to discuss political and economic reforms will take place. But Bouteflika says it would start “in the very near future”.
Bouteflika reportedly suffered stroke in 2013 and hardly makes public appearances. He has been in power for 20 years now.
Source: Africafeeds.com
