12th December, 2019
Thousands of people took to the streets in central Algiers on Thursday chanting “No vote! We want freedom!” as the authorities held a presidential election that a mass protest movement views as a charade intended to keep the ruling elite in power.
Police rushed the crowd with sticks to disperse the marchers, but then fell back as more protesters arrived.
The army, the strongest political player, sees the election as the only way to restore order by naming a successor to Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was toppled by a popular uprising earlier this year after two decades in office.
In central Algiers, some people were voting on Thursday as police patrolled the streets on foot and in vehicles. A helicopter circled overhead.
“The country has entered a critical phase,” said Aziz Djibali, 56, who went to vote at a polling station near the prime minister’s office. “It’s time for Algerians to voice their opinions peacefully.”