2019–2021 Algerian protests, Background, Monumentalism
Djamaa el Djazaïr, a large mosque under construction in Algiers, is nicknamed the Great Mosque of Bouteflika. Its minaret is 55m higher than the Hassan II Mosque in Morocco. Though its construction was touted as an Algerian job-creater, immigrant workers did most of the work for China State Construction Engineering while living in prefab shantytowns around the construction site. The project still came in 2.5 times over-budget. The cost of the mosque's construction has been estimated to be between $1.4 and $2 billion. A doctor quoted in Le Monde complained that "with $4 billion [sic], 200 hospitals could have been built." Converting the mosque into a hospital has been suggested. For the Algerian press, it became a symbol of the mismanagement of public funds and of the "capricious megalomania" of the former President.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Background, Monumentalism
Broadly, cumulative grievances and aspirations were at the heart of the protest movement. Decade-long economic stagnation, unemployment, labour market segmentation, and chronic corruption fueled discontent. Plummeting oil and gas prices weakened the regime's capacity to continue buying off some sections of the lower classes and youth, and to contain discontent.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Early days
In December 2018, calls for demonstrations in the neighborhood of Bab El Oued against the fifth term went unheeded, except by the police, which mobilized a significant dissuasive force.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Early days
The protests were at first, following the 10 February formal announcement of Bouteflika's candidacy, limited geographically to northern Algeria. The first major demonstration took place on 16 February 2019 in Kherrata, at the eastern end of the wilaya of Bejaia in the Kabylie region, after the distribution in Kherrata and its surrounding villages of posters calling for "a peaceful march against the fifth term and against the existing system" on that date.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Early days
In Khenchela, on 19 February, a giant poster of the President of the Republic was torn down from city hall and trampled. Two days later, another suffered a similar fate in Annaba. This form of protest was related to the recent practice of offering gifts to a framed portrait of Bouteflika in the latter's absence.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 1: 22–28 February
Protests were organized via social media in major and mid-sized cities on 22 February. Those in Algiers—where street protests had been illegal since a demonstration on 14 June 2001, "when hundreds of thousands of demonstrators from Kabylie converged on the capital"—were the biggest in nearly 18 years. Smaller protests, with slogans like "There is no president, there's a poster," had been taking place in Algiers since 11 February. On 22 February, the portrait of the President was torn down from the landmark central post office. There are no official government numbers published, but one expert put the number of demonstrators at 800,000 on 22 February 2019.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 1: 22–28 February
Regularly hospitalized for "periodic medical examinations", Abdelaziz Bouteflika was admitted to the University Hospital of Geneva (Switzerland) on 24 February 2019.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 1: 22–28 February
Another large-scale demonstration took place on 24 February at the call of the Mouwatana movement ("citizenship"), On 28 February, a dozen journalists were arrested during protests against press censorship.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 2: 1–7 March
Three million people were estimated to have demonstrated on 1 March 2019, though no official figures were given. The private channel Dzaïr News reported that one million people demonstrated across Algeria on 1 March, which was also the first time state television broadcast images of the protests.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 2: 1–7 March
183 people were injured and Hassan Benkhedda, son of former interim government president, Benyoucef Benkhedda, died of a heart attack. Speaking as Interior Minister, Noureddine Bedoui confirmed that it was related to police action against "thugs unrelated to the protestors."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 2: 1–7 March
On 2 March 2019, Abdelaziz Bouteflika replaced his campaign director, the former prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal, who had actively campaigned for the President since 2004, by the virtually unknown Abdelghani Zaalane, a career provincial administrator. Considered to be a response to the ongoing protests, this dismissal followed the disclosure of a recording between Sellal and Ali Haddad in which the former is heard making threats.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 2: 1–7 March
The deadline for submitting candidatures for the presidential election was 3 March 2019. The idea of postponing the election was put forward. On 3 March, the candidacy of Bouteflika was filed by his campaign director, though the law stipulates that the candidate must be physically present for this process. Another signed message announced that if re-elected, a national conference would be convened to adopt reforms as well as a new Constitution – to be approved by referendum – and that he would not take part in the next presidential election which he promised would be held early. After the confirmation of Bouteflika's candidacy on Sunday, 3 March, and the withdrawal of several opposition candidates, including Ali Benflis and Louisa Hanoune, an anonymous call to strike was made the next day, as well as a call to protest on 8 March.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 2: 1–7 March
Even before the candidacy was formalized, tens of thousands of protesters were out on the streets. From Sunday night to Monday morning, hundreds of protesters marched peacefully, calling his candidacy a "provocation", an "insult" and a "masquerade". The next day, many students boycotted their classes.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 2: 1–7 March
The opposition, meeting at the headquarters of the Justice and Development Front, called for candidates to withdraw from the election. On the same day, following the example of the resignation the day before of Khaled Tazaghart, an elected representative (député) from the El Moustakbal party, & former minister Sid Ahmed Ferroukhi (FLN), resigned from the party. Zahir Kherraz, FLN mayor of Oued Amizour, also said he did not support a fifth term. Amar Benadouda (1931), doyen of the mayors of the country, resigned from the town hall of Guenzet.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 2: 1–7 March
On Tuesday, protests and student strikes continued, thousands were in the streets of Algiers, Constantine, Oran, Annaba, Bejaia, Tizi Ouzou, Bouira, Blida, Setif, or Tlemcen. On Thursday, a thousand lawyers demonstrated in Algiers.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 2: 1–7 March
The "Pacifist and Civilized Walkers' 18 Commandments", written by Lazhari Labter, were widely circulated on social media prior to the 8 March demonstration.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 3: 8–14 March
In reaction to the Friday demonstrations, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research moved the spring university holidays forward to the next day (10 March) and extended them by two weeks in an effort to calm matters down. On 10 March, the Army Chief of Staff Ahmed Gaid Salah, close to Bouteflika, gave a speech to officer cadets saying the "army and the people had a common vision of the future". This speech was front-page news in El Khabar. A 5-day general strike was begun the same day.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 3: 8–14 March
The day after the announcement that Bouteflika would not seek a new term, that Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui had replaced Ahmed Ouyahia as prime minister, and that the presidential election was to be postposed sine die, university students protested for the third consecutive Tuesday across the country chanting "No Tricks, Bouteflika." On Wednesday, teachers protested. On Thursday, lawyers and judges were on the streets in several cities. On 14 March, Djamila Bouhired encouraged the younger generation demonstrating, saying: "Your elders liberated Algeria from colonial domination, and you are giving back to Algerians their liberties and their pride despoiled since independence"


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 3: 8–14 March
The protests on 15 March were estimated to have been larger than those the previous Friday. The Guardian reported that hundreds of thousands were in the streets, La Croix put the number at over a million. Protesters carried a banner criticizing France's comments that the cancellation of elections should lead to a "transition of reasonable length" saying, "It's the people who decide, not France!". Other signs included "Macron, deal with your yellow vests" and "Elysée, stop! It's 2019, not 1830."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 4: 15–21 March
On 16 March, twenty women created the group Femmes algériennes pour un changement vers l’égalité (FACE), calling for full equality between men and women, proposing the creation of a regular feminist square in front of Algiers 1 University and calling for equal representation of men and women in citizens' initiatives resulting from the Hirak protests. On 17 March, the newly appointed Prime Minister announced the intention of forming a government of politically unaffiliated experts, which would "reflect the demographics of the Algerian society". Students were again in the streets on Tuesday, 18 March demanding that Bouteflika step down by the end of his term (28 April). The army chief of staff said that the army needed to deal with the crisis.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 5: 22–28 March
On 26 March, in a speech given in Ouargla and covered live on Algerian television, Ahmed Gaid Salah urged the Constitutional Council to declare Bouteflika unfit. The Council began deliberations the same day. When the sitting president is removed, the president of the Council of the Nation—at the time Abdelkader Bensalah—becomes acting president for a maximum of 90 days while elections are organized. On 27 March, Ahmed Ouyahia called on Bouteflika to resign. The same day the Workers' Party announced the resignation of their elected members of the People's National Assembly.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 6: 29 March–4 April
On Friday 29 March, the Algerian authorities denied Reuters' reports that there were a million protesters in the capital, but did not put forward numbers of their own.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 6: 29 March–4 April
Bouteflika named a new government on 31 March 2019 two days before his resignation.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 6: 29 March–4 April
Investigations were opened into a dozen oligarchs who were prevented from leaving the country. Ali Haddad's resignation from the FCE—an employers federation, which had seen a wave of recent resignations over his remarks about the protests—and his subsequent arrest at the Tunisian border were widely reported.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 6: 29 March–4 April
Bouteflika made a statement promising to step down by the end of his term, but equivocating as to the actual date. The following day, the Army Chief of Staff (who had been appointed by Bouteflika to replace General Mohammed Lamari after his 2004 election) insisted both privately and publicly that he resign immediately, which he did. As provided for under Article 102 of the Algerian Constitution, Abdelkader Bensalah became acting interim President. His term can last for a maximum of 90 days while a presidential election is held. By law, he cannot participate in this election.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 6: 29 March–4 April
James McDougall wrote that the military had "recognized that radical measures were needed to save the system." Though it had regained some power at the expense of the "clan" centered around Saïd Bouteflika—including the Armed Forces chief of staff—McDougall added that "[s]ome observers and activists believe that the army as an institution now wants to stay out of politics and might even support the "clean-up" of corruption that protesters demand."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 7: 5–11 April
The streets were again exuberant and crowded with hundreds of thousands on Friday 5 April, with marchers carrying signs demanding further resignations, specifically mentioning the 3B: Noureddine Bedoui (prime minister), Abdelkader Bensalah (who was officially appointed acting interim president on 9 April), and Tayeb Belaiz (head of the constitutional council); as well as the Army Chief of Staff.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 7: 5–11 April
Tear gas and a water cannon were used repeatedly to prevent more than a thousand students chanting "Silmiya, Silmiya" (peaceful, peaceful) from going through the Tunnel des Facultés in Algiers on the 8th successive Tuesday of student demonstrations.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 8: 12–18 April
The Friday protests, of the same size as previous weeks, were more conflictual, with police blocking access to the city and parts of the city. On 16 April, the president of the constitutional council, Tayed Belaiz—one of the three Bs whose ouster protesters sought—informed the council that he had submitted his resignation.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 9: 19–25 April
The size of the protests on 19 April was similar to previous weeks. Ennahar TV reported that five billionaires were arrested on 22 April 2019: four brothers from the Kouninef family, close to Saïd Bouteflika, and Issad Rebrab, the CEO of Cevital. The head of Cevital's communications department denied the reports. A judge also called in the former prime minister and the current finance minister for questioning.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 10: 26 April-2 May
On Friday 26, thousands of protesters gathered in Algiers for the tenth week despite attempts by the authorities to close all entrances to the capital. Banners such as "The system must go" and "We are fed up with you," were raised in city centre. Earlier, Algeria's richest businessman and three other billionaires were arrested in an on-going investigation on the grounds of corruption.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 11: 3–9 May
For the eleventh consecutive week, tens of thousands of people, according to al-Jazeera, demonstrated on Friday 3 May and raised banners that read: "You must go" and "Thieves you have destroyed the country". Protesters also continued to insist on the peaceful character of their demonstrations, chanting "Peaceful, peaceful," while marching in central Algiers. It was also reported that the power broker military chief Ahmed Gaid Salah called for "dialogue", but the president of Rally for Youth Action, a civil society organisation, expressed his refusal to negotiate with "symbols of the old system."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, Week 11: 3–9 May
On Saturday 4 May, the former president's younger brother, Saïd Bouteflika, was arrested along with former secret service head General Mohamed Mediene ("Toufik") and intelligence chief Athmane Tartag ("Bachir").


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, June 2019
On 19 June 2019, Lieutenant general Salah reiterated that no flags other than the "national emblem" would be tolerated during demonstrations. In so doing, he was targeting the Amazigh flag, a frequently-seen flyer during the Hirak (movement).


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, July 2019
On 17 July, Abderrahmane Arrar, President of the Civil Forum for Change (FCPC), proposed a committee of former politicians, lawyers and human rights activists with reputations for neutrality, without political ambitions, who would mediate decision-making for organising a presidential election and a political transition. The aim was to first obtain wide consensus on the list of mediators.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, September 2019
On 15 September, the government announced a presidential election to take place on 12 December. Demonstrations continued, calling for Ahmed Gaïd Salah and other members of the former Bouteflika governmental clique to resign. The authorities blocked road entries to the capital Algiers and arrested prominent protestors in preparation for the following Friday. Protestors called for a general strike each Tuesday starting 24 September.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, September 2019
Protests continued for the 31st Friday on 20 September, with two thousand protesting in Béjaïa and two thousand in Bouïra, calling for Salah to resign, for the peaceful revolution to continue, and stating that it would be better to go to prison than to vote in the 12 December 2019 presidential election.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, September 2019
Detentions of prominent opposition members around 20 September included that of barrister Abdelhak Mellah from Boumerdès, who supports boycotting the 12 December presidential election; Karim Tabbou; Samir Belarbi; Fodil Boumala, accused of "attacking the integrity of national territory" and "attacking national unity"; Lakhdar Bouregaa; and 77-year old Garidi Hamidi, an "icon" of the protest movement.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, November 2019
On 1 November, the metro was shut down in Algiers and trains into the city were canceled as a result of a social media campaign calling for demonstrations. Police roadblocks also caused traffic jams. For the 37th weekly Friday protest, which coincided with the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the start of the Algerian War for independence from France, tens of thousands of demonstrators called for all members of the system of power in place to be dismissed and for a radical change in the political system. They rejected the 12 December election, with slogans describing it as "an election with the gangs" and as an "election organised by a corrupt power [which] is a trap for idiots" (French: les élections d’un pouvoir corrompu est un piège à cons).


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, November 2019
On 15 November, the 39th successive Friday of protests included objections to the 12 December presidential election and calls for arrested protestors to be freed.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, November 2019
On 17 November, the day that the presidential election candidates opened their campaigns, protestors objecting to the election, perceiving it as a continuation of the same group of people retaining political power, posted sacks of garbage on panels allocated for presidential candidates' campaign posters. Protestor Smain described the symbolism by stating that the election "is completely rejected ... as garbage".


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, December 2019
On 6 December, crowds in Algiers, Constantine, Oran, and in Kabylie were massive, calling for a boycott of the elections scheduled for the following week and for a general strike starting on 8 December.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, December 2019
The presidential election was held on 12 December 2019, despite wide popular opposition, with a turnout of 8% according to the Rally for Culture and Democracy or 39.88% officially, with Abdelmadjid Tebboune officially elected in the first round with 58.13% of the valid votes. During the three days around the election, 11–13 December 1200 protestors were detained by the authorities according to the CNLD. Later in December, the CNLD estimated that according to its records, 180 prisoners of conscience remained in prison, either under remand or serving sentences.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, December 2019
Gaid Salah suffered a heart attack on the morning of 23 December 2019 and was rushed to a military hospital in Algiers, where he died a few hours later. He was 79 years old. His last public appearance was four days earlier when he received the National Order of Merit from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, January 2020
In the first week of January 2020, the new president elected in the mostly boycotted election, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, appointed Abdelaziz Djerad as prime minister and the rest of his cabinet mostly consisting of ministers of the previous government under Bensalah as acting president and Ahmed Gaid Salah as de facto leader of Algeria. On 2 January, 76 prisoners of conscience detained because of their protest actions were released, some of them conditionally. Protests continued.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, January 2020
On 15 January, 13 detainees held in El-Harrach prison since 1 March 2019 started a hunger strike, with the aim of getting a fair trial. Their cases had rested frozen for 10 months and their court appearances were scheduled for 16 March 2020.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, January 2020
In the 17 January Hirak protest marches, twenty of the first protestors to arrive in the morning were arrested in Algiers. As of 18 January 2020, Youth Action Rally (RAJ) estimated that a total of at least 100 Hirak prisoners of conscience were being held in Algerian prisons, while the CNLD estimated that 120 or more Hirak prisoners remained under detention.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, February 2020
In early February, close to the anniversary of the first protests on 16 and 22 February 2019, President Tebboune signed a decree pardoning several thousand prisoners, who were released from jail, but the Hirak protest prisoners of conscience were not included in the pardon.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, March 2020
On 20 March 2020, Algerian protesters heeded a presidential order over the coronavirus, and the pleas of some of their own leaders, by not staging their weekly demonstration against the ruling elite on Friday for the first time in over a year. Leading supporters of the protest movement, including imprisoned activist Karim Tabbou, human rights lawyer Mustafa Bouchachi and former minister Abdelaziz Rahabi, had urged the protesters to suspend their marches.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, April 2020
Abdallah Benadouda, an Algerian exile in the US with experience in Algerian public radio and private television (Dzaïr TV), started Radio Corona International 21 April 2020 to keep the Hirak flame alive during the lockdown. Benadouda encourages comparison to pirate radio in Europe in the 1970s and has discussed government crackdown on journalists (Khaled Draini) and opposition figures (Karim Tabbou).


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, October 2020
On 5 October, Algerian protesters marked the 32nd anniversary of a pro-democracy movement, with hundreds of protesters gathering in the streets of the capital, Algiers.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, October 2020
On 9 October, following the rape and killing of a teenage girl, protests erupted in several cities across Algeria, decrying gender-based violence. The body of Chaïma, 19, was said to have been discovered in an abandoned petrol station in Thenia, 50 miles east of Algiers, earlier in the month. Chaïma's family revealed that she went missing after going out for a walk to pay her phone bill, and was subsequently stabbed, raped and allegedly burnt alive.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, October 2020
A constitutional referendum had previously been announced in July that was to be held in November as a result of the protests earlier in the year, but critics said it fails to address popular concerns of overreach by the government.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, 2021
5,000 people gathered in the town of Kherrata on 16 February to mark the two year anniversary of the Hirak protest movement. Demonstrations had been suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Timeline, 2021
On 18 February, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune released 70 people who had been imprisoned for their participation in demonstrations, but that did not stop thousands from demonstrating on 22 February.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Protesters
These are the largest protests in Algeria since 2001. The demonstrators are primarily young people who did not experience the "Black Decade". One observer lauded the millennials' reappropriation of corporate branding to their own uses, as well as their respect for their living space through peaceful demonstrations, saying:


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Protesters
Algerian millennials thrive on positive messages. They flooded the web with images of young demonstrators kissing, handing flowers to police officers and women on international women's day, distributing water bottles, volunteering for first aid or encouraging people to clean the streets after the demonstrations.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Protesters
Women's active role in the protests was credited with minimizing violence, and marked a sharp contrast with the 1988 protests predominantly led by salafists. An old mother of five unemployed children told the BBC: "There's nothing for the young generation," she said. "No jobs and no houses. They can't get married. We want this whole system to go."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Protesters
Demonstrations also took place abroad, particularly in France, where 10,000 demonstrated in Paris on 8 March.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Goals
Originally the protesters wanted Abdelaziz Bouteflika to withdraw his candidacy for a fifth term and wanted Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia to step down. More generally, they called for massive housecleaning from the government of the ruling clans, known collectively as le pouvoir ("the power").


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Goals
In conjunction with the president's withdrawal, the protesters called more and more for democracy, liberties and the rule of law, goals which many protests argue are unrealized and which continue to attract Algerians into the street.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Slogans, songs and symbols
Some slogans referred to the incumbent president as "the Moroccan" because of his birthplace and his reputed membership in a shadowy second Oudja Clan. Others, such as "bring back the commandos of the army and the BIS, there will be no fifth term" alluded to the baltaguias. By April, common slogans, placards, chants and hashtags included: "Leave means Leave" and "Throw them all out". Protesters in the capital chanted: "Bouteflika get out, and take Gaid Salah with you."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Slogans, songs and symbols
Songs such as "Libérer l'Algérie", written by artists supporting the movement, "Allô le système!" by Raja Meziane and "La liberté" by Soolking, became hits with the protesters upon their release.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Slogans, songs and symbols
Yetnahaw Gaa !, often written Yetnahaw ga3 !, or, in Algerian Arabic, (يتنحاو ڨاع), means "they should all go" and became a rallying cry after Bouteflika renounced his run for a fifth term.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Slogans, songs and symbols
Cachir, an emblematic Algerian sausage, was brandished and tossed around during demonstrations as a reminder of the 2014 elections when the press reported that Bouteflika's re-election committee was increasing attendance at their meetings by handing out free sandwiches filled with the sausage. In the protestor's eyes, cachir had become a "symbol of corruption and of the 'buying of votes and souls.'" The Algerians have also employed humour and comedy to express dissent and discontent.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Slogans, songs and symbols
Algerian activist Hamza Hamouchene captured the following on his iPhone:


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Slogans, songs and symbols
"Algeria, country of heroes that is ruled by zeros", "System change ... 99 percent loading", "We need Detol to kill 99.99 percent of the gang" [referring to members of the regime]And this one from a medical student: "We are vaccinated and we have developed anti-system IgGs (antibodies) ... and we keep getting boosters every Friday""The problem is the persistence of idolatry and not the replacement of the idol"


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Slogans, songs and symbols
Some slogans were directly targeting French complicity and interferences:"France is scared that if Algeria takes its independence it would ask for compensation for the metal it used to build the Eiffel tower""Allo Allo Macron, the grandchildren of November '54 are back"


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Slogans, songs and symbols
In reaction to calls by Gaid Salah to apply article 102 of the constitution, so the leader of the upper house would take over with elections to be held 90 days after the presidency is declared vacant by the constitutional council, people replied:"We want the application of article 2019 ... You are all going""We asked for the departure of the whole gang, not the promotion of some of its members""Batteries are dead so no need to squeeze them""Dear system, you are a piece of s*** and I can prove it mathematically""Here Algeria: the voice of the people. The number 102 is no longer in service. Please call people's service at 07" (in reference to article 07 stipulating that the people are the source of all sovereignty).


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Slogans, songs and symbols
In Bordj Bou Arréridj, a city 200 km east of the capital Algiers, every Friday protesters have been hanging a new tifo since the fifth Friday. Displayed on an unfinished building renamed "The People's Palace", the banners bear cartoons and slogans, and as more Algerians from other cities have been pouring in every Friday the town has been named "The Capital of the Hirak" (The capital of the popular movement). The idea of the tifos is borrowed from the ultras groups which, according to sociologist Mark Doidge, were political protests in the 1960s and 1970s Italy.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Rioting
Although the rallies were generally peaceful, some vehicles were burned and shops were vandalized in the evening of demonstrations. On 1 March, clashes took place between the police and groups of young people throwing stones at them.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Context, Rioting
41 arrests were recorded on 23 February and 45 on 1 March including five men caught trying to haul away a safe. The police reported that "the majority of the people arrested were under the influence of psychotropic or hallucinogenic substances".


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Media coverage
Until 1 March 2019, public television, radio, and press totally ignored the demonstrations, while private television channels linked to power dealt with them in a limited way. A boycott campaign was launched against the media. The editor-in-chief of Channel III, Meriem Abdou, resigned on 23 February as a protest against the treatment of the movement on the government-run radio station. Several journalists were arrested. A hundred journalists and the NGO Reporters Without Borders publicly denounced the censorship practiced by the Algerian executive. When state TV channels did begin mentioning the protests, they were critical of the protesters and did not refer to their motives. In contrast, the private print media and news sites reported widely on events from the beginning.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Media coverage
Despite the opening of the audiovisual media to competition in 2011, off-shore channels can be shut down at any time because of their precarious legal status. One foreign media outlet, Al Jazeera, has been banned from Algeria since 2004.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Media coverage
On 4 March, Nadia Madassi, Canal Algérie's nightly news anchor for the past 15 years, resigned because she had been required to read a letter attributed to the president on the air.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Media coverage
On 5 March, Echorouk and El Bilad were sanctioned by the Ministries of Communication for having covered the demonstrations, and were cut off from advertising by the ANEP (national publishing and advertising agency).


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Alliances of citizens' groups and dialogue
Women created the feminist collective Femmes algériennes pour un changement vers l'égalité on 16 March 2019, which pioneered the feminist square in the Friday Algiers protests to strengthen the political role of women in the protests. Citizens' associations and individuals created the Dynamiques de la société civile alliance on 15 June, which was later joined by trade unions, with the aim of coordinating proposals to reorganise the political structure of the Algerian state. On 26 June, political parties and the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights created the Forces of the Democratic Alternative alliance with similar aims, including the organising of a constituent assembly for a new political system with an independent judiciary.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Alliances of citizens' groups and dialogue
On 6 July, the Forum civil pour le changement, created on 9 March 2019 by 70 citizens' groups and led by Abderrahmane Arara, and the Forces du changement held a conference at which they proposed the creation of a panel to dialogue with the government and in favour of the holding of a presidential election. The 13-person dialogue panel, the Instance nationale de dialogue et de médiation, was created and led by Karim Younes. The dialogue panel and the holding of the election were widely criticised by the protestors and by the Forces of the Democratic Alternative, who stated that the arrests of protestors for political reasons and the lack of basic conditions of democracy were conditions unsuitable for an election.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Alliances of citizens' groups and dialogue
Citizens' groups to monitor the detentions of protest participants and call for their release were formed. The Network for fighting against repression was created on 1 June 2019 to call for the release of prisoners including Louisa Hanoune, the first woman to run for President of Algeria, and Hadj Ghermoul, a member of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights. The National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees (CNLD) was created on 26 August 2019. In late December, several weeks after the presidential election won by Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the CNLD had documentation of 180 "Hirak" prisoners under remand or sentenced, and saw "no sign" of the government ceasing its frequent arrests of the protestors.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Alliances of citizens' groups and dialogue
On 25 January 2020, 400 people from various political parties and citizens' associations participated in Algiers in a meeting organised by Forces of the Democratic Alternative. The conclusion of the meeting was to hold another meeting to organise the detailed methods and rules for implementing a democratic transition during which existing "illegitimate" institutions would be dismantled and for organising a constituent assembly.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Governmental institutions
On 11 March, it was announced that President Bouteflika would not seek re-election; that Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia had resigned and been replaced by Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui; and that the April 2019 presidential election was postponed indefinitely. Inquiries were announced into "corruption and illicit overseas capital transfers" on 1 April 2019. Ali Haddad was arrested trying to cross the border into Tunisia after liquidating stock worth €38m. On the same day, Bouteflika promised to step down by the end of his term on 28 April.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Governmental institutions
On 2 April 2019, Bouteflika resigned as president, after being pressured by the military to step down immediately. Under Article 102 of the Algerian Constitution, he was succeeded as interim President by the President of the Council of the Nation, Abdelkader Bensalah, who was ineligible to run in the election for a successor, which according to law had to be held in the next 90 days.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Governmental institutions
The presidential election was finally held on 12 December 2019, despite wide popular opposition. The Rally for Culture and Democracy estimated the turnout in the election at 8% of the eligible electorate, interpreting the low turnout as a result of wide rejection of the election. The official turnout was 39.88%, with Abdelmadjid Tebboune officially elected in the first round with 58.13% of the valid votes, leaving it unnecessary to hold a second round of the election.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Constitutional amendment
On 7 May 2020, the preliminary draft of the constitutional amendment was published. It provides for the replacement of the post of First Minister by Head of Government, responsible to the Assembly, which can overthrow it by a motion of censure, the possibility for the President of the Republic to appoint a vice-president, the replacement of the Constitutional Council by a Constitutional Court, the retention of the limit on the number of presidential mandates to two, consecutive or not, or the limitation of the mandate of deputy to one re-election.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Constitutional amendment
In addition, the Hirak is inscribed in the preamble of the Constitution and the army is authorized to participate in theaters of operation abroad. Finally, the National Independent Election Authority (ANIE) is constitutionalised, the presidential third of the Council of Nation is abolished and the possibility of legislating by ordinance during parliamentary recess is abrogated.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Results, Constitutional amendment
On 8 September 2020, the final draft of the constitutional amendment was published. It revokes both of the vice-president post and the abolition of the presidential third of the Council of Nation.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Influence
The weekend after Bouteflika stepped down, protestors in Sudan called upon the army to take their side against sitting president Omar al-Bashir. Despite the state of emergency and the emergency courts the President created to treat the protests, demonstrators staged a sit-in in the public space outside the Khartoum headquarters of the Armed Forces.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Commentary
On 28 February 2019, the economist Omar Benderra asserted that a deep separation exists between civil society and the Algerian government, which outlawed street protests twenty years ago, and which he wrote is controlled by "warlords". Public opinion, Benderra continues, is suspicious of official government communication and has also begun to show signs of frustration with spiritual leaders urging the people to stay off the streets.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Commentary
In Le Figaro on 1 March 2019, the Algerian writer Boualem Sansal said: "Such demonstrations in all the cities of the country and even in the capital, not far from El Mouradia (the district of the presidential palace), the Tagarins (the district of the Ministry of Defense), of Alger Centre (the district of the palace of the government), is an unbearable humiliation for the president, his brothers, his army, his police, his deputies, his senators, his oligarchs, his officials, his extra militias, in short, the "revolutionary family" (that's the name they give themselves), whom no one has ever disrespected without paying for it with his life."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Commentary
Writing on openDemocracy, Hamza Hamouchene, a founder of the London-based Algeria Solidarity Campaign, summed up his view of the context of the revolt:


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Commentary
This decisive awakening on the part of the people and their growing political awareness are harbingers of good things to come and of the stormy days ahead for the profiteering caste and their foreign backers who have been scandalously enriching themselves. In the midst of increasing pauperization, unemployment, paralyzing austerity, the pillaging of resources, uneven development and corruption, the rationality of the current revolt and rebellion becomes absolutely clear.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Commentary
Fahad Nabeel from the Centre of Strategic and Contemporary Research was less optimistic about the movement's success, suggesting that either the pouvoir or the military would consolidate control.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Commentary
"The protests did emerge in part in response to elements of Algerian social life," wrote Amir Mohamed Aziz, "but they need to be situated in a broader context of African, Mediterranean and transnational political-economic dynamics."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Commentary
Algerian journalist Ghada Hamrouche doubted whether it was even possible to hold elections as promised by the interim president. Hamrouche considered elections within the current constitutional set up a diversion. Army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah and "the ruling class," she wrote, "are counting on the lure of elections to divide and weaken protesters' calls for a transition outside the framework of a constitution that keeps the regime in the driver's seat."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Commentary
Ahmad Al-Sholi thinks that the Algerian regime is very entrenched and enjoys a good leverage generated by the revenues of the oil industry, a 'surplus' with which it could "co-opt large swaths of the population and oppositional forces. Despite the plummeting oil prices in the world market, the regime argues Al-Sholi, could attract foreign investment and still refill its coffers. On the other hand, although the Algerians showed an impressive energy and perseverance in mobilisation, it would be a mistake to expect hundreds of thousands of people to show up to protest indefinitely."


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Commentary
Some popular organization has to emerge now and present a roadmap that the masses could rally around, giving them a chance to catch their breath. The ruling regime is desperate to draw a red line against the protests and is intent on engaging in mass arrests. Fortunately, Algerians have significant industrial leverage to wield against their ruling class. What happens next depends on how this power is channeled to transform Algeria.


2019–2021 Algerian protests, Reactions, International
International reactions were cautious: most countries and international organizations remained silent until 5 March.


2019–2021 Amaravati protests
The 2019–2021 Amaravati protests also known as Amaravati protests, are ongoing demonstrations in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh triggered by the idea of three capitals by Government of Andhra Pradesh, and the Expert panel, BCG committee reports. The demonstrations are against the Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020, which allows the state government to establish three capitals at different locations. This led to concerns that the decision would create chaos and insecurity fears for farmers who gave their fertile agricultural lands to the government in 29 villages of Guntur and Krishna districts. The protests began in Mandadam, Thullur, Uddandarayunipalem on 18 December 2019. In a few days, the protests spread across Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, in Andhra Pradesh. On 17 December 2020, series of events were done to mark the protests' anniversary.


2019–2021 Amaravati protests, Background, 2014–2018
The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region boasts of one of the oldest habitations in India, going back at least two millennia, and is associated with historic dynasties like Satavahanas and cities such as Dhanyakataka. The last government, wanted to capitalize this region into world-class capital city and wanted to promote glory, rich culture, historical and religional treasure of Andhra Pradesh. It was designed by the Singaporean company, with the masterplan being prepared by two Singapore government appointed consultants and other international consultants in association with both governments in order to develop India's Singapore.


2019–2021 Amaravati protests, Background, 2014–2018
The foundation stone was laid for Amaravati, by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, Former Chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and the Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has laid foundation stone for Andhra Pradesh High Court at Amaravati. However, the Capital city was planned in rich fertile coastal plains on the banks of Krishna river; about 60 km from Bay of Bengal and said to be designed to have 51% of green spaces and 10% of water bodies. Thus, the new riverfront capital took away eminently cultivable land from farmers.


2019–2021 Amaravati protests, Background, 2014–2018
For the first time in India, the farmers of Guntur and Krishna districts had gave 33,000 acres of land, to the Government of Andhra Pradesh on land pooling for Amaravati. It had tied up around Rs 17,500 crore with the Housing and Urban Development Corporation, World Bank, Andhra Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and planned to raise the balance through public-private partnerships, investments, bonds, lease rental discounting also, it had estimated a budget of over Rs 1 lakh crore for the greenfield capital city.


2019–2021 Amaravati protests, Background, 2014–2018
The Government of India, has granted only 2,500 crore and further promised to grant more in future. But, the present government had stopped major projects and contracts backed by APCRDA and Andhra Pradesh Development Corporation Limited (ADCL), stating that the previous government has committed Abuse of information, Insider trading on several properties in Amaravati. Many construction works and road works at amaravati have come to a grinding halt, even as those undertaken by private companies continue albeit slowly, as the government had appointed several committees for review.


2019–2021 Amaravati protests, Background, 2019–present
In July 2019, the World bank dropped the $300 million Amaravati capital project, and released statement that says "India withdrawn request for financing Amaravati project." After the World bank, Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has also withdrawn $200 million funding for the Amaravati capital city project and leds the state government into financial crisis for construction of Amaravati.


2019–2021 Amaravati protests, Background, 2019–present
In November 2019, the Singapore consortium comprising Ascendas-Singbridge and Sembcorp withdrew from the capital city startup area project, after the state government decided not to proceed with the project owing to its other priorities. On building the capital city at Amaravati, Urban development minister Botsa Satyanarayana had said: “Our priority is not to build London or Paris. It is not our priority and not in our capacity also. It is not possible for us to build” and had stated that the Amaravati region was not conducive for building a greenfield capital city and that it was prone to floods. Citing the financial condition of Andhra Pradesh due to the economic slowdown and alleged misdeeds of the previous regime, Finance minister Buggana Rajendranath had expressed inability to continue work on several large projects of Amaravati conceived by the previous government.


2019–2021 Amaravati protests, Background, 2019–present
In December 2019, Chief minister Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy announced that the Andhra Pradesh would have three capitals namely as Amaravati in Coastal Andhra as the legislative capital with the state assembly, Visakhapatnam in Uttarandhra as the administrative capital with the state secretariat and Kurnool in Rayalaseema as the judicial capital with the high court. This threw everybody into confusion, including foreign investors who had hedged their bets on the swift development of Amaravati. The farmers, residents of APCR have condemned the comments and dragged into protests against the government.


2019–2021 Amaravati protests, Protests and demonstrations
Amaravati farmers took to the streets with the announcement of Chief minister Jagan's capital decentralization. Reactionary protests were held as well across the Guntur and Krishna districts of Andhra Pradesh. They are protesting on the road with cans of pesticides and have erred in moving the Secretariat and High Court from the already all-encompassing Amaravati. Farmers are demanding that the entire administration of government to stay where it is.


2019–2021 Chilean protests
The 2019 Chilean protests, known in Chile as the Estallido Social (lit. social outburst), are a series of massive demonstrations and severe riots originated in Santiago and spread to all regions of Chile, with a greater impact in the main cities, such as Greater Valparaíso, Greater Concepción, Greater La Serena, Arica, Iquique, Antofagasta, Rancagua, Chillán, Temuco, Valdivia, Osorno, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas, developed mainly between October 2019 and March 2020. Civil protests took place throughout Chile in response to a raise in the Santiago Metro's subway fare, the increased corruption, cost of living, privatisation and inequality prevalent in the country.


2019–2021 Chilean protests
The protests began in Chile's capital, Santiago, as a coordinated fare evasion campaign by secondary school students which led to spontaneous takeovers of the city's main train stations and open confrontations with the Carabineros de Chile (the national police force). On 18 October, the situation escalated as a group of people began vandalizing city's infrastructure; seizing, vandalizing, and burning down many stations of the Santiago Metro network and disabling them with extensive infrastructure damage, and for a time causing the cessation of the network in its entirety. 81 stations have sustained major damage, including 17 burned down.


2019–2021 Chilean protests
On the same day, President of Chile Sebastián Piñera announced a state of emergency, authorizing the deployment of Chilean Army forces across the main regions to enforce order and prevent the destruction of public property, and invoked before the courts the Ley de Seguridad del Estado ("State Security Law") against dozens of detainees. A curfew was declared on 19 October in the Greater Santiago area.


2019–2021 Chilean protests
In the following days, protests and riots expanded to other Chilean cities, including Concepción, San Antonio and Valparaíso. The state of emergency was extended to the Concepción Province, all Valparaíso Region (except Easter Island and Juan Fernández Archipelago) and the cities of Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Iquique, La Serena, Rancagua, Valdivia, Osorno, and Puerto Montt. The protests have been considered the "worst civil unrest" having occurred in Chile since the end of Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship due to the scale of damage to public infrastructure, the number of protesters, and the measures taken by the government. Widespread looting has occurred at shops and businesses.


2019–2021 Chilean protests
On 25 October 2019, over 1.2 million people took to the streets of Santiago to protest against social inequality, demanding President Piñera's resignation, in what was called as "The biggest march of Chile." As of 28 December 2019, 29 people have died, nearly 2,500 have been injured and 2,840 have been arrested. Human rights organisations have received several reports of violations conducted against protesters by security forces, including eye mutilation, torture, sexual abuse and sexual assault. On 28 October 2019, President Piñera changed eight ministries of his cabinet in response to the unrest, dismissing his Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick.


2019–2021 Chilean protests
On 15 November 2019, Chile's National Congress signed an agreement to hold a national referendum that would rewrite the constitution if it were to be approved. The referendum was rescheduled from April to October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. On 25 October 2020, Chileans voted 78.28 per cent in favor of a new constitution, while 21.72 per cent rejected the change. Voter turnout was 51 per cent. On 16 May 2021, the election of the 155 Chileans who will form the convention which will draft the new constitution was voted.


2019–2021 Chilean protests
The pandemic provoked a reduction in the scale of the protests, with social distancing measures and eventual government-imposed lockdowns in place. An estimated 3.5 billion dollars and 300 thousand jobs, have been lost due to destruction and damage of public and private infrastructure, including the Santiago Metro, as a result of the protests and vandalism carried out mainly between October and November 2019.


2019–2021 Chilean protests
As of July 2021, the demonstrations have continued to focus every Friday almost exclusively around Plaza Baquedano, where between 100 to 500 people confront the police, vandalize the surroundings demanding for the liberation of the so called "Prisoners of the Revolt". This continuation has been defined by the government as "acts of crime that do not respond to a demonstration or social demand."


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Core issues, Transport fares
The price of public transport in Greater Santiago is determined by the Panel of Public Transport Experts (Spanish: Panel de Expertos del Transporte Público), which uses an automatic calculation formula to adjust fares on a monthly basis. The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications is advised by the panel and must be notified of any price changes.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Core issues, Transport fares
On 1 October 2019, the Panel determined the quarterly adjustment of fares for the public transport system of the Province of Santiago and the communes of San Bernardo and Puente Alto. They decided that a fare hike of 10 Chilean pesos for buses and 30 pesos for the Santiago Metro and Metrotrén at peak hours (a rise of about 4%), as well as a fare decrease of 30 pesos at off-peak hours, was necessary.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Core issues, Transport fares
The increase was justified by the panel due to increase of the rate index, which is subject to variations in the value of fuel, the value of the US dollar, the value of the euro, the cost of labor, and the consumer price index among other variables, such that the costs to the subway have risen. The fare change was scheduled to take effect from 6 October.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Core issues, Transport fares
Some specialists, such as former Minister Paola Tapia, have indicated that there are other factors that explain the rise. Among these factors would be the purchase without tender of a new fleet of electric buses for the Metropolitan Mobility Network and the suspension of the new tender for bus services, both decisions made by the administration of Minister Gloria Hutt.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Core issues, Transport fares
In addition, there is criticism that rail transit fares in Santiago are the second highest in Latin America (only surpassed by São Paulo). In relative terms, the average monthly cost per person for the city's public transport is equivalent to 13.8% of the minimum wage, well above other cities such as Buenos Aires, Mexico City or Lima, where it does not exceed 10%.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Core issues, Inequality and cost of living
According to Jose Miguel Ahumada, a political economist and associate professor at the University of Chile, the country is "one of the most unequal countries in Latin America". As described by The Washington Post, while the last three decades of neoliberal policies made Chile "one of South America's wealthiest countries, with inflation under control and easy access to credit", they also "created stark economic disparities and strapped many Chileans into debt".


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Core issues, Inequality and cost of living
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) states, that 1% of the population in Chile controls 26.5% of the country's wealth, while 50% of low-income households access 2.1%. Additionally, according to National Statistics Institute of Chile, while the minimum wage in Chile is 301,000 pesos, half of the workers in that country receive a salary equal to or less than 400,000 pesos.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Core issues, Inequality and cost of living
Protesters interviewed by Reuters said they were struggling to make ends meet because of the high costs of part-privatized education and health systems, rents and utilities, and a privatized pension system has been widely rejected by Chileans because of its low and often delayed payouts.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
The protests began on Monday, 7 October, as secondary-school students began an orchestrated campaign of fare dodging on the Santiago Metro. In response, the Metro authority began controlling access to several stations. Under the slogan ¡Evade! ("evade"), the fare-dodging campaign continued and grew over the remainder of that week and into the next. On Monday, 14 October, several stations on Line 5 were closed in the afternoon after violent incidents were reported.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
On 15 October, a major clash between students and police occurred at Santa Ana station and four arrests were made; in the afternoon, a group of protesters kicked down a metal gate at Plaza de Armas station in downtown Santiago, andstations on Lines 1, 3 and 5 were closed to passengers as security was stepped up. Confrontations continued and expanded over the following days, with turnstiles and ticket machines being destroyed at San Joaquín station on 17 October and four stations closed in the evening. At that time, 133 arrests had been made and damage to Metro infrastructure was estimated at up to 500 million pesos (US$700,000).


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
On Friday, 18 October, the situation escalated as protests unfolded in downtown Santiago. Barricades were built, to which the police responded with water cannon and tear gas. The entire Metro system was closed after attacks were reported at nearly all its 164 stations, forcing many passengers to walk home. The headquarters building of electricity company Enel Generación Chile was damaged in a fire which affected its emergency exit stairwell.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
A major event that galvanized the day's movement was related to Sebastián Piñera himself. At approximately 21:00 hours on 18 October, while riots and open battles swept the capital, the President was away from La Moneda Palace, busy attending the birthday of one of his grandchildren. The celebration took place at a restaurant named Romaría, an expensive pizza parlour in the northern district of Vitacura, one of Santiago's wealthiest. An unidentified customer who happened to be inside took photographs and posted them anonymously on Twitter, showing a relaxed Piñera eating inside and his private escort convoy sitting outside the building. Piñera later addressed the nation and announced a 15-day state of emergency in the capital, allowing the armed forces to patrol the city alongside the Carabineros, Chile's militarized national police force.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
The violence continued on 19 October and the Metro remained closed to passengers. Shops were looted, buses were set alight and clashes occurred between demonstrators and the security forces. A curfew was imposed between 22:00 and 07:00 hours. As rioting spread to other parts of the country, states of emergency were declared in the Valparaíso Region and Concepción Province. In an address to the nation in the evening, President Piñera announced the cancellation of the fare increase and the establishment of a dialogue panel, with representatives from across society, to discuss the underlying causes behind the unrest.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
On 20 October, many supermarkets, shopping malls and cinemas remained closed as the protests continued. Curfews were imposed for that night in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, and the regions of Valparaíso, Biobío (including the regional capital, Concepción), and Coquimbo; as the curfew began in Santiago, many protesters remained on the street.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
Local authorities also announced the closure of schools on 21 October (and some also on 22 October) in 43 of the 52 communes of the Metropolitan Region and across the province of Concepción.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
President Piñera again addressed the nation on the evening of 20 October. In his remarks, he said the country was "at war with a powerful and implacable enemy" and announced that the state of emergency, already in effect in the Metropolitan Region and the regions of Valparaíso, Biobío, Coquimbo and O’Higgins, would be extended to the regions of Antofagasta, Maule, Los Ríos, and Magallanes. Some opposition politicians described his rhetoric as "irresponsible", while a Latin America editor for BBC News Online expressed concern about the impact his words would have on the protesters and on the chances for meaningful dialogue. Hours shortly after the President's speech, chief of national defense Javier Iturriaga del Campo spoke against this declaration, asserting that he was "content" and "not at war with anyone".


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
Some incidents of unrest were reported on 21 October in Santiago, Concepción, and other cities. The Santiago Metro remained closed, except for a portion of Line 1, as did all the nation's universities and institutes of higher education. The intendant of the Metropolitan Region announced that schools would remain closed on 22 October in 48 of the region's communes. Michelle Bachelet, a former President of Chile now serving as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a call for open, sincere and immediate dialogue and warned that "the use of inflammatory rhetoric will only serve to further aggravate the situation".


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
On 25 October, over a million people took to the streets in Santiago, and thousands more throughout Chile, to protest against President Piñera, demanding his resignation.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
As of 26 October 2019 people have died, nearly 2,500 have been injured, and 2,840 have been arrested.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
On 27 October, President Piñera requested all of his cabinet ministers to resign; however, he accepted 8 resignations, including the Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick. Three days later, Piñera withdrew Chile from hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting scheduled for November and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
According to Bloomberg, the protests are the worst civil unrest having occurred in Chile since the end of Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship due to of the scale of damage to public infrastructure, the number of protesters, and the measures taken by the government.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, October 2019 protests
On 8 November, approximately 75,000 people took to the streets of Santiago to take part in anti-government protests. During the protests, a Roman Catholic church in Santiago was looted and its religious iconography was burned in the street. A university near Santiago's Plaza Italia square was burned as well


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests
On 6 January 2020, university entrance exams to be taken by 300,000 students around Chile were disrupted by protests over inequality and elitism, with some students blocking access to test sites and burning exam papers.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests
At the end of January 2020, the social unrest (which had reduced somewhat during the Chilean summer holidays) resumed again with large demonstrations. The protests were catalysed by incidents such as the death of Jorge Mora, struck by a Carabinero vehicle after a football match. As of February 2020, an estimated 36 people had died. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) denounced the violence of the police and announced that between 18 October and 6 December 2019, 28,000 people had been imprisoned.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests
The Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos (INDH) reported at the end of January 2020 that 427 persons had received eye injuries at the hands of the police. The INDH  also recorded 697 attacks on lone civilians by state actors between the start of the protests in October and 31 January. Of these, 123 attacks were by Carabineros.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests, COVID-19 pandemic
The protests had to come to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the establishment of several partial lockdowns in Santiago and other cities. Taking advantage of the situation, government agencies erased most of the graffiti and street art in downtown Santiago that was drawn during the protests. On 3 April, President Sebastián Piñera visited an empty Plaza Italia and took some pictures in it, which was considered by many as a way of taunting the protesters under quarantine. Piñera later regretted the situation and mentioned that he was "misinterpreted". Despite the lockdown, some protests appeared during International Workers' Day in Santiago that resulted in the arrest of 57 people by Carabineros. Detained members of the international press were later released without charge. Similar incidents were reported in the port city of Valparaíso.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests, COVID-19 pandemic
On 4 September 2020, police and demonstrators clashed at an anti-government protest at Plaza Italia, resulting in at least 20 arrests.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests, COVID-19 pandemic
On 11 September 2020, the 47th anniversary of the Pinochet coup, protestors clashed with Santiago police at the central Plaza Italia that resulted in over one hundred arrests. Sixteen police officers and two civilians were injured.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests, COVID-19 pandemic
In the following weeks, small protests appeared again in Plaza Italia usually on Fridays and were severely repressed by Carabineros. On 2 October, an incident occurred when a police officer pushed a 16-year-old protester off the Pío Nono bridge into the Mapocho river. The minor suffered several fractures and concussion and was rescued by protesters. The situation sparked new protests on Saturday, 3 October near Plaza Italia, being the first time since the start of a national lockdown that the square is taken by protesters.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests, COVID-19 pandemic
Opposition politicians called for the resignation of General Director Mario Rozas and announce an impeachment to the Ministry of Interior Víctor Pérez. Also, they announce they will reject the annual budget for Carabineros unless changes are implemented. The officer is under arrest and charged with attempted murder by the National Public Prossecutor.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests, COVID-19 pandemic
On 18 October 2020, a year after the protests of 18 October 2019, individuals set a fire on the Parroquia de La Asunción in Santiago, resulting in the bell tower collapsing from the fire. One of the 5 suspects is a Chilean Navy Corporeal, which may have been an infiltrator from the Armed Forces, this was denied by the government and the Chilean Navy. Corporeal Ernesto Osorio was discharged from the Navy, while he is under investigation for his involvement in the arson. Two Catholic churches in Santiago were burned as well.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests, COVID-19 pandemic
On 3 November 2020, Chile's Interior and Security Minister Victor Perez resigned after being suspended from his duties when the Chamber of Deputies voted in favor of an investigation over allegations he failed to stop police abuses during protests.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, 2020 protests, COVID-19 pandemic
On 18 November 2020, hundreds demonstrated in the capital demanding President Piñera's resignation with regards to police repression of the protests.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Incidents and casualties
During the protests 36 people have died as of February 2020, and thousands have been injured and arrested. Amnesty International has received hundreds of complaints about serious human rights violations that range from excessive use of force to torture, illegal raids and arbitrary detention. Similar allegations have been received by Chile's National Institute for Human Rights, which also included reports of sexual violence.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Incidents and casualties, Excessive use of force
According to the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH), the use of rubber pellets by security forces has left at least 964 injured, including 222 with eye problems. According to the Chilean Ophthalmology Society, this is the highest number of injuries of this type registered during protests or in conflict zones in the world. Bandaged eyes had become so common that they become a symbol for protesters.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Incidents and casualties, Excessive use of force
Human rights organisations have received several reports of violations conducted against protesters, including torture, sexual abuse and rape. Amnesty International's investigations "allege that state security forces, including both the police and army, deliberately use excessive force against protesters." Amnesty International went on to state that "[the military and police] are using unnecessary and excessive force with the intention of injuring and punishing protesters." According to Erika Guevara-Rosas, the America's director for the human rights group, "the intention of the Chilean security forces is clear: to injure demonstrators in order to discourage protest." Human Rights Watch stated that "indiscriminate and improper use of riot guns and shotguns, abuse of detainees in custody, and poor internal accountability systems gave rise to serious violations of the rights of many Chileans".


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Incidents and casualties, Government response
In late November, security forces announced the suspension of the use of rubber pellets as a crowd control method in the protests.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Reactions, International reactions, NGOs
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International both expressed concern over the government's response to the protests, citing "excessive use of force" by the Chilean Police, as well as "possible arbitrary detentions of demonstrators".


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Reactions, International reactions, Solidarity protests
In New Zealand's largest city Auckland, hundreds of protesters staged a solidarity march on 27 October 2019.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Reactions, International reactions, Others
Polish party Lewica Razem issued official statement strongly supporting protests.


2019–2021 Chilean protests, Popular culture
Some costume-clad protesters have emerged as "superheroes" from among the many demonstrations and protests throughout the country. They have gained significant attention on social media by being captured with particular attitudes or outfits. Once viralized, they were colloquially called the "Chilean Avengers", in reference to the superheroes of Marvel Comics. Among them stands out: "Baila Pikachu", "Stupid and sensual Spiderman", "Pareman", the "Dinosaur", "Nalcaman", the "Granny", the "Selknam", "Robin Hood", "Yutakiller" and the dog "Negro Matapacos". On November 22, 2019, some of them held a meeting recreating a scene from the movie The Avengers in Plaza Baquedano, organized by the production company Nano.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes
Beginning in 2019, multiple appointments of acting officials in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were questioned, on the basis of whether the appointments were legal under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 and the Homeland Security Act of 2002. After the departure of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in April 2019, the Trump Administration did not formally nominate a new secretary to be confirmed by the Senate, relying on acting postings.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes
The disputed appointments were those of Kevin McAleenan and Chad Wolf as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, and Ken Cuccinelli as Senior Official Performing the Duties of both the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The dispute on the Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments centered on the fact that the issued text of an amendment to the order of succession deviated from the intention of then-Secretary Nielsen, placing a different person than expected next in line. The dispute on the USCIS appointment centered on whether a newly created Principal Deputy Director position was validly the "first assistant" to the Director under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes
On March 1, 2020, the District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Cuccinelli was not lawfully appointed to serve as acting USCIS Director and invalidated certain actions taken by him; the government dropped its appeal of this case in August 2020. On August 14, 2020, the Government Accountability Office released a finding that McAleenan, Wolf, and Cuccinelli had been appointed improperly to their Acting Secretary and Deputy Secretary positions; the DHS rejected this finding.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes
On November 14, 2020, the District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled that Wolf was not lawfully serving as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security and overturned a set of his orders as lacking "legal authority".


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Background
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 (FVRA) specified procedures for filling vacant offices, allowing the President to direct a person serving in a different Senate-confirmed position to serve as acting officer. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA) established the Department of Homeland Security and the position of the Secretary of Homeland Security.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Background
The line of succession to the Secretary was specified through a series of executive orders, the most recent of which was Executive Order 13753 of December 9, 2016, which specified the line of succession when the Secretary had "died, resigned, or otherwise become unable to perform the functions and duties of the office of Secretary".


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Background
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, signed into law on December 23, 2016, amended the HSA to create new procedures for specifying the line of succession for the Secretary as an exception to the procedures in the FVRA. Specifically, it specified that the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management must be third in line to the Secretary position, and second in line to the Deputy Secretary position. It also allowed the Secretary rather than the President to specify the further lines of succession, and did not specify a time limit to the eligibility of acting officials as the FVRA had done.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Background
The Secretary specified succession through DHS Delegation 00106, which went through a number of revisions. By February 2019, it stated that Executive Order 13753 still held in the case of death, resignation, or inability; and provided an "Annex A" specifying the succession if the Secretary became "unavailable to act during a disaster or catastrophic emergency", although the order of succession was the same in both cases.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Disputed appointments, McAleenan and Wolf as Acting Secretary
In case of death, resignation, or inability1. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (vacant)2. Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management (vacant)3. Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (vacant)4. Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Christopher C. Krebs5. (other officials)if unavailable to act during a disaster or catastrophic emergency:1. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (vacant)2. Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management (vacant)3. Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Kevin McAleenan4. Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (vacant)


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Disputed appointments, McAleenan and Wolf as Acting Secretary
Kirstjen Nielsen served as the Senate-confirmed Secretary of Homeland Security from December 5, 2017 until April 10, 2019. On April 9, 2019, Nielsen had issued a new revision of Delegation 00106 that updated Annex A, but left Executive Order 13753 in place in the case of death, resignation, or inability. At the time, DHS referred to Annex A, which had Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan as next in line, rather than Executive Order 13753, which had Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Christopher C. Krebs as next in line.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Disputed appointments, McAleenan and Wolf as Acting Secretary
While Nielsen demonstrably intended to place McAleenan next in line, and a memorandum from the DHS General Counsel to Nielsen contained ambiguous language, the actual issued text of the amended Delegation 00106 unambiguously placed Krebs next in line. McAleenan served as Acting Secretary, at least in a de facto capacity, from April 11 until November 13, 2019.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Disputed appointments, McAleenan and Wolf as Acting Secretary
On November 8, 2019, McAleenan issued another revision of Delegation 00106, which specified Annex A as the line of succession for all situations, and placed the Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans fourth in line for the Secretary position. Upon McAleenan's resignation, Chad Wolf began serving de facto as Acting Secretary on November 13, 2019.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Disputed appointments, Cuccinelli as Acting USCIS Director and Deputy Secretary
Ken Cuccinelli was appointed to serve in the newly created position of Principal Deputy Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in June 2019. This was intended to make him the "first assistant" to the Director position, making him eligible to immediately become its Acting Director.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Disputed appointments, Cuccinelli as Acting USCIS Director and Deputy Secretary
On November 13, 2019, the day he assumed office, Wolf amended Annex B of Delegation 00106 specifying the order of succession for Deputy Secretary, placing the Principal Deputy Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services second in line after the Under Secretary for Management, thus specifying Cuccinelli as Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, USCIS appointment
In a June 18, 2019 letter to the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, House committee chairs Jerry Nadler, Elijah Cummings, and Bennie Thompson alleged that Cuccinelli's brief appointment as Principal Deputy Director had been retroactively applied, possibly in violation of the FVRA. The USCIS employees union also challenged the legality of Cuccinelli's appointment.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, USCIS appointment
In September 2019, a lawsuit was filed challenging his asylum directives, partially on the basis that his appointment was invalid. On March 1, 2020, Judge Randolph D. Moss of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Cuccinelli was not lawfully appointed to serve as acting director, on the basis that the novel nature of the Principal Deputy Director position meant that he had never served as the "first assistant" to anyone. He therefore lacked authority to issue two of the directives challenged in the lawsuit. Because the case was not filed as a class action, Moss was "unconvinced" that his relief should be extended to other asylum seekers not part of the original suit.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, USCIS appointment
On August 12, 2020, the government dropped its appeal in the case.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments, Government Accountability Office finding
On November 15, 2019, House Democrats Bennie Thompson and Carolyn Maloney requested that Comptroller General of the United States Gene Dodaro review the legality of Wolf's appointment on the basis that former Acting Secretary McAleenan did not have authority to change the department's line of succession, asserting that former Secretary Nielsen had not properly placed McAleenan first in the line of succession before resigning and that McAleenan's change came after the 210-day limit to his authority had expired.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments, Government Accountability Office finding
On August 14, 2020, the Government Accountability Office released a finding that McAleenan, Wolf, and Cuccinelli had been appointed improperly, noting that:


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments, Government Accountability Office finding
Upon Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's resignation on April 10, 2019, the official who assumed the title of Acting Secretary had not been designated in the order of succession to serve upon the Secretary's resignation. Because the incorrect official assumed the title of Acting Secretary at that time, subsequent amendments to the order of succession made by that official were invalid and officials who assumed their positions under such amendments, including Chad Wolf and Kenneth Cuccinelli, were named by reference to an invalid order of succession.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments, Government Accountability Office finding
Dodaro referred the matter to Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari to review the questions of who should be serving in these positions, the legality of other actions taken by McAleenan, Wolf, and Cuccinelli. Under the line of succession found valid by GAO, the Acting Secretary as of August 2020 would be Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Pete Gaynor. Although GAO findings are not legally binding, it was expected to affect several pending court cases, including Wolf v. Vidal, where plaintiffs had argued that rules issued by McAleenan, Wolf, and Cuccinelli were void because they had been improperly appointed.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments, Government Accountability Office finding
On August 17, the Department of Homeland Security's Acting General Counsel issued a statement rejecting the GAO's finding, saying that Nielsen had in fact legally appointed McAleenan as Acting Secretary. To support this they stated the fact that she had personally sworn him in, and announced in a public email that he was the incoming Acting Secretary, as evidence of her intention. They also pointed to a preliminary memorandum from the DHS General Counsel to Nielsen that, unlike the text of the actual DHS Delegation, included ambiguous language.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments, Government Accountability Office finding
They also criticized the timing of the finding, noting that GAO had taken over eight months to issue the finding, and released in just 80 days prior to the 2020 United States elections, and asserted that the validity of the appointment was outside the GAO's jurisdiction because it was made under the HSA and not the FVRA.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments, Government Accountability Office finding
On August 21, GAO declined to retract or amend their findings, saying that DHS had not provided any evidence of material errors of fact or law in the finding, and that all their points had already been considered in the finding.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments, Subsequent events
On August 25, President Trump announced that he would nominate Wolf to be confirmed by the Senate as the permanent Secretary of Homeland Security. The nomination was formally submitted to the Senate on September 10. The same day, FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor, who was highest official in the proper Acting Secretary succession order, issued a memo designating the same order of succession that was intended to be established by McAleenan, in order to make Wolf the proper Acting Secretary. Wolf then issued a memo reaffirming his previous actions as Acting Secretary. However, on November 13, DHS admitted in a court ruling that Gaynor's memo had apparently been issued about an hour before the Senate nomination had been made, which may affect its legality.


2019–2021 Department of Homeland Security appointment disputes, Controversy, Secretary and Deputy Secretary appointments, Subsequent events
On November 14, Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled that Wolf was not lawfully serving as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security due to the improper appointments of McAleenan and Wolf. In addition to finding the 2019 McAleenan memo ineffective, Garaufis ruled that the 2020 Gaynor memo was also ineffective because DHS had not fulfilled legal formalities about notifying Congress for Gaynor to serve as acting secretary. Nevertheless, Gaynor issued a duplicate memo on November 17, 2020.


2019–2021 Feldhockey-Bundesliga
The 2019–20 Bundesliga was the 78th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier field hockey league. It began on 7 September 2019 and it concluded with the championship final on 24 May 2019 in Mannheim. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the league was suspended on 13 March until 1 April 2020. The season returned on 2 September 2020 and was extended into 2021 with an extra round of matches.


2019–2021 Feldhockey-Bundesliga
For the 2019–20 season, the German Hockey Federation introduced a new format. The league was played by twelve teams grouped in two pools of six (Pool A and Pool B) based on the previous season's ranking. The teams of the same pool competed 2 times and faced the teams of the other pool once. The first four of each pool were qualified for the play-offs and the last two of each pool played the play-downs.


2019–2021 Feldhockey-Bundesliga, Teams
A total of 12 teams participated in the 2019–2021 edition of the Bundesliga. The promoted teams were Großflottbek and TSV Mannheim who replaced Düsseldorfer HC and Blau-Weiss Berlin.


2019–2021 Feldhockey-Bundesliga, Regular season, Overall table
The leading team in this table qualifies for the Euro Hockey League.


2019–2021 Feldhockey-Bundesliga, Play-downs
The play-downs were played in a best of three format with the first match hosted by the weaker-placed team on 25 April and the return match and potential third decisive match hosted by the better placed team on 1 and 2 May respectively.


2019–2021 Feldhockey-Bundesliga, Play-downs
TSV Mannheim won series 2–0 and stay in the Bundesliga while Großflottbeker THGC are relegated to the 2. Bundesliga.


2019–2021 Feldhockey-Bundesliga, Play-downs
Nürnberger HTC won series 2–1 and stay in the Bundesliga while Crefelder HTC are relegated to the 2. Bundesliga.


2019–2021 Feldhockey-Bundesliga, Play-offs
The quarter-finals were played in a best of three format with the first match hosted by the weaker-placed team on 25 April and the return match and potential third decisive match hosted by the better placed team on 1 and 2 May respectively. The semi-finals and final were hosted by Mannheimer HC in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
The 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship was the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship of Test cricket. It started on 1 August 2019 with the first Test of the 2019 Ashes series, and finished with the Final at the Rose Bowl, Southampton in June 2021.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
It came nearly a decade after the International Cricket Council (ICC) first approved the idea for a World Test Championship in 2010, and following two cancelled attempts to hold the inaugural competition in 2013 and 2017.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
It featured nine of the twelve Test playing nations, each of whom was scheduled to play a Test series against six of the other eight teams. Each series consisted of between two and five matches, so although all teams were to play six series (three at home and three away), they were not scheduled to play the same number of Tests. Each team were able to score a maximum of 120 points from each series and the two teams with the most points at the end of the league stage would contest the final.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
In the case of a draw or a tie in the final, the two teams playing the final would be declared joint champions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the Championship, with several rounds of matches being postponed or cancelled. In November 2020, the ICC announced that the finalists would be decided by percentage of points earned.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
Some of the Test series in this Championship were part of a longer ongoing series, such as the 2019 Ashes series. Also, some of these nine teams would play additional Test matches during this period which were not part of this Championship, as part of the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2018–23, mainly to give games to the three Test playing sides not taking part in this competition. On 29 July 2019, the ICC officially launched the World Test Championship.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
On 2 February 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia postponed their away series against South Africa, resulting in a guaranteed berth in the final for New Zealand. On 6 March 2021, India also confirmed their berth for the final, after beating England by 3–1 in a home Test series. The final saw New Zealand win by eight wickets, securing their second global cricket title after their 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy win.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Format
The tournament was played over two years. Each team were scheduled to play six other opponents, three at home and three away. Each series consisted of between two and five Test matches. Therefore, all participants did not play the same number of Tests, but played the same number of series. At the end of the league stage the top two teams played in the final. Each match is scheduled for a duration of five days.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Format, Point scoring
The ICC decided that the same number of points would be available from each series, regardless of series length, so that countries that played fewer Tests were not disadvantaged. It also decided that points would not be awarded for series results, but for match results only. These would be split equally between all the matches in the series, regardless of whether or not a match was a dead rubber, so that every match counted. In a five-match series, therefore, 20% of the points would be available each match, while in a two-match series, 50% of the points would be available each match.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Format, Point scoring
Therefore, depending on whether the series is 2, 3, 4 or 5 matches long, the number of points awarded for a single match win would be a half, a third, a quarter, or a fifth of the maximum possible from the series. The ICC also decided that a tie should be worth half of a win and that a draw should be worth a third of a win.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Format, Point scoring
This all meant that after each match, a side could be awarded a half, a third, a quarter, a fifth, a sixth, an eighth, a ninth, a tenth, a twelfth or a fifteenth of the total points available from the series, depending on the result and how many matches the series happened to consist of. Ultimately, this meant a figure for the total points available from the series needs to be picked very carefully, as not many numbers give all integers when split into all these different fractions (360 does). Being a highly composite number, when 120 was split into all these fractions, an integer was obtained in all cases except one – the points awarded for a draw in a 3-match series should be 131⁄3 (a third of a third of 120), but the 1⁄3 had been dropped.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Format, Point scoring
Each series would therefore carry a maximum of 120 points with points distributed as follows:


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Format, Point scoring
A team that was behind the required over rate at the end of a match would have two competition points deducted for each over it was behind. In January 2020, South Africa became the first team to be docked World Test Championship points, after a slow over-rate in the fourth Test against England.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Participants
The nine full members of the ICC who participated were:


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Participants
Since each team played only six of the eight possible opponents, the ICC announced that India and Pakistan would not play against each other in the first and second editions of the tournament.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Participants
The three full members of the ICC who did not participate:


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Participants
These were the three lowest ranked full members of the ICC. They had been included in the ICC Future Tours Programme; they played a number of Test matches during this period against Championship participants and each other but these did not have bearing on the Championship.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Schedule
The schedule for the World Test Championship was announced by the ICC on 20 June 2018, as part of the 2018–2023 Future Tours Programme.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Schedule
Rather than being a full round-robin tournament in which everyone played everyone else equally, each team played only six of the other eight.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Schedule
Therefore, the total number of matches played by each team (home and away) in this tournament, and the two countries that each side did not face in this tournament, were as follows. (Note: This was not the total Test matches played by each team during this period, as some countries did play further matches during this period which were not part of this Championship, as part of the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2018–23. Some of these may be against the opponents they did not play in this Championship.)


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Schedule
All the series were mutually agreed between the two nations involved; this had led to allegations that the schedule has been agreed based on what would provide the biggest television audiences, and therefore television receipts, rather than selecting an even spread of teams.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Schedule
Since each team played a different set of opponents, they can be considered as having an easier or harder schedules.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Schedule, COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted on international cricket fixtures, including matches in the Championship. In March 2020, the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh was postponed due to the pandemic. Later the same month, the two-match series between Sri Lanka and England was also postponed. The following month saw Australia's tour to Bangladesh and the West Indies tour to England being postponed. In June 2020, the two-match series between Bangladesh and New Zealand and the three-match series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were both postponed. South Africa's tour of the West Indies was postponed, after the fixtures clashed with the West Indies rescheduled tour to England.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Schedule, COVID-19 pandemic
On 29 July 2020, the ICC confirmed that their attention had moved to the fixtures in the World Test Championship, with their priority on rescheduling the six Test series that had been postponed. The ICC ultimately accepted several series would not take place as part of the Championship and changed the points system to account for the variation in the number of series played per team.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Prize money
The International Cricket Council declared a total prize money pool of US$3.8 million for the tournament. The prize money was allocated according to the performance of the team as follows:


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, Prize money
The winning team also got the ICC Test Championship Mace, previously presented to the top team in ICC Men's Test Team Rankings at the April cutoff-date of a year between 2003 to 2019.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, League stage, 2019–20, Pakistan v Bangladesh
The second match was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to a busy schedule, the match would be postponed until the 2021–22 season and outside the Championship season.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, League stage, 2020, Bangladesh v Australia
This series did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, League stage, 2020, Wisden Trophy (England v West Indies)
This series was originally scheduled for June 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, League stage, 2020, Bangladesh v New Zealand
This series did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, League stage, 2020–21, Sri Lanka v England
This series was originally scheduled for March 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, League stage, 2020–21, Bangladesh v West Indies
This was originally a three-match series scheduled for January 2021.


2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, League stage, 2020–21, South Africa v Australia
This series did not take place as originally scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and could not be a part of the Championship season.