…Determined Protestors
Protesters see Tebboune as very much a part of that ruling elite rather than a step toward democratic change. The protests have seen widespread support from across the political, ideological, and socioeconomic spectrum, including participation by women’s, human rights, cultural, and student organizations.
The protest movement has also created new spaces for citizens to debate major issues relating to the past, such as accountability for violence during the 1990s (including the disappeared), women’s rights, and the relationship between ethnic, religious, and national identity.
Algeria’s military, business, and political elites – so-called le pouvoir – may have calculated that a series of concessions coupled with protest fatigue would lead the movement to fizzle out. Instead, protests have continued, with consistently large turnouts.
One recent survey suggests that support for a complete overhaul of the political system exists within a wide swath of the population, including younger members of the military. However, survey data from the Arab Barometer showed that on the eve of the protest movement “substantial portions of the population remain[ed] worried about the potential shortcomings of a democratic system.”…
Read full article at The Globe Post
