President Bouteflika of algeria on the way out – but the people's dissatisfaction is left

Eyewitnesses that DN has been in contact with tells us that the protest march formed itself in the capital Algiers on Tuesday. The independent tv station Ennahar reports on protests in several other major cities, as well as a wild strike in the port city of Bejaia.

But on Tuesday was the slogan, not targeted against Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his now shelved plans to run for a fifth term as president. Instead called it ”We want to get rid of the whole system”.

”System” - it is the intricate and opaque web of different power interests, which de facto ruled Algeria since 2013, when a massive stroke made it impossible for the now 82-year-old president himself to rule his great nation. Which is highly fatal, because the Algerian constitution provides Bouteflika great powers: the president appoints the government and is also commander in chief of the armed forces.

at just over 2.3 million square kilometers (more than five times larger than Sweden's), Algeria is the african continent's largest country. The country has large reserves of oil and especially natural gas - it is the arab world's third-largest gas exporter after saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Algeria's chief of staff Ahmed Gaid Salah in a meeting on Monday. Photo: AFP

But the wealth is unevenly distributed. Unemployment, corruption and economic crisis has dominated Algeria in recent years. This has led to frustration steadily increased among the young population - over 44 per cent of Algeria's 41 million inhabitants are under 25 years.

The 82-year-old Abdelaziz Bouteflika has not always been a helpless stooge, the object of derision and all sorts of nidteckningar. Around the turn of the century, was he a jihadistiskt rebellion that the armed islamistgruppen GIA started and that lasted nearly a decade. After the conflict, which cost close to 200.000 lives, launched Bouteflika a försoningsprogram for, if possible, to heal the wounds.

years, sits deep in the collective consciousness, and has contributed to many algerians preferred the dictatorship stability in front of the fight for freedom and human rights.

The inner circle around the Bouteflika - ”those who control the wheelchair”, as they say in the vernacular, consists of people from the FLN, the party that has dominated parliament since independence in 1962, as well as representatives of the army, which traditionally is a strong force in Algeria. Abdelaziz Bouteflikas younger brother Siad is also included in the kotteriet.

But Bouteflikas maktklick has shown itself unable to solve the difficult challenges that Algeria faces. Therefore, there is discontent to remain on the streets, despite the fact that the old president and is now thrown in the towel.

That is to say, Bouteflika remains at his post until further notice. In connection with that he jumped of the kandideringen president declared his spokesman said an ”independent and comprehensive” national consultation, which shall take a decision on the new date for the presidential elections.

the Leader of the rådslaget is expected to be Lakhdar Brahimi, a 75-year-old diplomat and former foreign minister who has good international reputation after several profiled permanent representative to nom the UN, including in Syria and in Afghanistan. But Brahimi is hardly the healthy fan as the disaffected young people is called for - he is old friends with president Bouteflika.

he be willing to try lotsa Algeria by the political crisis. In a television appearance in the state television on Tuesday hailed the Weapons the demonstrators and called them ”young responsible people that have given the outside world a good impression of Algeria”.

– Now we need to work together to turn the crisis into something constructive, urged Lakhdar Brahimi.

France, which ruled Algeria as a colony for 130 years until 1962, also called for calm and consensus.

" We hope that a new political dynamic to come to a position, which can meet the needs of the algerian people, said French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a statement on Tuesday.

the extra-parliamentary and loose-knit groupings of young people that have popped up in the demonstrationernas wake is content with the well-intentioned phrases.

”That Bouteflika refrains from the fifth term of office is a minimum requirement. But it is not enough. The structure of the society in Algeria must change fundamentally,” writes a representative of the facebook group Tous Contre le cinquième mandate (”All opposed to the fifth mandate”) in a message to the DN.

Algeria is dancing and smiling when president Bouteflika withdrew from the presidential election - but the future is uncertain