- Title: Thousands of Algerians take to streets to protest upcoming elections
- Date: 4th October 2019
- Summary: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (OCTOBER 4, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING, CLAPPING, MARCHING DOWN STREET HOLDING SIGNS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROTESTER, ZINEB, SAYING: "I won't vote, no elections with this gang. Bedoui, Bensalah and Gaid Salah have to leave and after that we will do the elections. The elections must be from the people and to the people." PLACARD (Arabic) READING: "NO ELECTIONS WITH SYMBOLS OF THE GANG" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING PROTESTERS CHANTING SLOGANS (Arabic): "THEY HAVE TO LEAVE, GAID SALAH AND BENSALAH" (SOUNDBITE) (French) PROTESTER, MALIKA, SAYING: "For freedom, for freedom and no elections, no elections, no elections." PROTESTERS CHANTING PROTESTER HOLDING A PLACARD (French) READING: "PEOPLE ARE THE ONLY HEROES" PROTESTERS WAVING HANGS, FLAGS, MOVING DOWN STREET VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS HOLDING LARGE ALGERIAN FLAG PROTESTERS CHANTING SLOGAN (Arabic): "THE TARTARS SOLD IT (Algeria) BRING IT BACK DEAR BROTHERS" PROTESTER HOLDING PLACARD, PROTESTERS CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROTESTER, BRAHIM, SAYING: "There won't be elections with the gang my dear brother, people are the ones who choose their destiny not the army. Government is a murderer." PROTESTERS CHANTING, HOLDING SIGNS PROTESTERS CHANTING SLOGANS (Arabic): "NO ELECTIONS WITH THE GANG" A PROTESTER HOLDING A PLACARD (Arabic): "WE WON'T BEND THE KNEE" A PROTESTER HOLDING A PLACARD (Arabic): "LISTEN TO ME FLY, MY FATHER TOLD ME NO ELECTIONS WITH THE GANG" PROTESTERS HOLDING PLACARDS (French): "FREE THE DETAINED" "KARIM TABOU". PROTESTERS HOLDING PICTURES OF DETAINED (French) READING: "FREE SAMIR BELARBI" "FREE KARIM TABOU" "FREE LEKHDAR BOUREGAA" "FREE FODIL BOUMALA" PROTESTERS CHANTING PROTESTERS WALKING AND CHANTING, POLICE VEHICLES ON SIDES OF STREET
- Embargoed: 18th October 2019 20:22
- Keywords: Algeria Algiers protests elections
- Location: ALGIERS, ALGERIA
- City: ALGIERS, ALGERIA
- Country: Algeria
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZOOAPZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Tens of thousands of Algerian protesters took to the streets in the capital on Friday (October 4) demanding the army quit politics, a purge of the ruling elite, an end to corruption, and the freeing of opposition leaders.
The demonstrations in the capital Algiers and several other cities follow a ruling by a prominent independent cleric this week urging people to vote in the December election.
The fatwa, or Islamic legal ruling, represent the first significant comment on the months-long political crisis by major independent clerics, and may influence conservative Algerians.
The army, which has emerged as the most powerful player in Algerian politics, sees December's presidential election as the only way to quiet the protests and end the constitutional limbo that has prevailed since president Abdelaziz Bouteflika stood down in April.
Sheik Lakhdar Zaoui, a well-known conservative cleric, published a fatwa on Wednesday (October 2), saying a Muslim country could not be leaderless.
Algeria plunged into crisis in February when massive protests erupted to stop Bouteflika running for a fifth term in an election that was scheduled for July.
He resigned on April 2 and the election was postponed.
(Production: Abdelaziz Boumzar, Thawab Herzallah) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
