Protests continue in Algeria

On 2 April 2021, Algerians took to the streets demanding an independent judiciary. The protests began in February 2019. Amid the first part of the Hirak protests, they successfully forced President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign and later called for the resignation of all of those in power; however, the elite pushed back. From mid-2019 and on, Algerian authorities jailed Hirak leaders on wrongful and political charges. Every week protests occurred in cities across the country up until the global pandemic began in early 2020. Some of their demands included fighting corruption, a new national assembly, more transparency, and accountability.

The significance of this shows that Algerians have not forgotten their desires to dislodge the political establishment and transition towards a more democratic society. Legislative elections are planned to take place in June of this year, followed by local elections. In the meantime, protests will continue and most likely will continue through the elections, given the fact that most reforms or other acts by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune have been surface-level changes.