Thousands March in Protest as Ex-premier Elected Algerian President

Abdelmadjid Tebboune calls for dialogue with the opposition protest movement, says he wants 'to open a new page' with talks on a new constitution

Algerian demonstrators take to the streets in the capital Algiers to reject the presidential elections, in Algiers, December 13, 2019.
Toufik Doudou/AP

A former prime minister was elected Algeria's new president in a vote the authorities hope will end months of turmoil, but protesters who toppled his predecessor marched again on Friday, vowing their movement would not stop.


Tebboune called on Friday for a dialogue with the opposition protest movement, saying at a news conference he would start consultations on a new constitution to be approved by referendum and extended his hand to them "to open a new page."


Thousands crowded central Algiers despite a heavy police presence, suggesting the new leader may struggle to quell the uprising that ended Bouteflika's two-decade rule in April.

"The country is ours and we do what we want," they chanted, while holding up a banner that read: "We will not stop!"




Newly elected president Abdelmadjid Tebboune talks to the press during a news conference, in Algiers, December 13, 2019.
Ramzi Boudina/Reuters

"We have toppled Bouteflika, and we will topple all the system's men. We won't give up," said Riad Mekersi, 24, who has participated in weekly protests for 10 months.

"I cannot accept this vote because I do not recognize the corrupt system," said Salim Rahmoun, 27. He was holding an Algerian flag and a plaque reading "No vote with the gang."

'Congratulations to Algeria'

Tebboune supporters gathered outside the conference centre where his victory was announced, chanting "congratulations to Algeria."

"All Algerians should be optimistic," said a young man who gave only his first name, Abdelaziz, because his neighbors rejected the election. "The protesters should stay at home."

Protesters marched in cities and towns across Algeria throughout Thursday's election, in some places clashing with police, who tried to disperse them with baton charges.

The election body said some nine million Algerians took part, though some protesters said they believed the figure was false, and there were no foreign observers to monitor the vote.

"The turnout is satisfying and it will give the new president enough backing to implement his reforms," said Ahmed Mizab, a commentator on state television, saying it showed the decision to hold the elections was "propitious and right".

Toufik Doudou/AP

The electoral body head, Mohamed Charfi, said the vote had "opened a new page," achieving the democracy people had demanded in their uprising.


Tebboune has tried to harness the protest movement as a source of support for reform while rejecting its message that the entire ruling elite should go. He vowed during the campaign to "separate money from politics."

He has used the circumstances of his brief premiership to polish his credentials as a man of integrity who stood up to members of Bouteflika's coterie, many of whom are now jailed facing corruption charges.

However, his own son was also arrested in the post-Bouteflika purge and is awaiting trial for graft. Tebboune supporters said his son's plight proved his independence.