Hundreds of thousands of Algerians took to the streets of Algiers Friday, calling for the overthrow of the country’s ruling elite.
Chanting “We will not shut up!”, the demonstrators rallied peacefully after Friday prayers a month after the downfall of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Weeks of demonstrations forced Bouteflika out of office on April 2 after 20 years in power. Protesters have continued mass demonstrations every Friday, demanding other members of the elite also give way.
They are calling for the resignation of the interim president, Abdelkader Bensalah, who is serving for 90 days until an election on July 4, and of Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, appointed by Bouteflika days before he stepped down.
“You must go” and “Thieves you have destroyed the country”, read banners held by protesters. “Algeria, free and democratic,” others chanted while marching through central Algiers.
"We will march until the entire group of Bouteflika's men leaves," said Hamid Benmouhoub, a 55-year-old tradesman who had travelled 350 kilometers (220 miles) to join the demonstration, said AFP.
There was no official count but a Reuters journalist estimated the crowd to be hundreds of thousands like last week.
The key powerbroker now is military chief Ahmed Gaed Salah, a long-time Bouteflika loyalist who ended up withdrawing his support for his boss.
But the crowds filling the capital's central avenues on Friday chanted for Salah to "resign" and held placards reading "No to military rule".
Salah on Wednesday called for dialogue between protesters and the "institutions of the state" a day after digging in against demands that key leaders quit and be replaced by transitional bodies.
Last week, he said several big corruption cases would come to light in a crackdown on graft.
A number of figures from the ruling elite, including the finance minister, former prime minister and several rich businessmen have come under investigation in recent weeks.
Friday's protest is the last ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when days of fasting typically see a drop off in daytime activity.
But Algerians pledged to keep up their protests regardless.
"We will continue to march during Ramadan to demand a transition period with clean people (in charge). We will not let up," said Zakia Benabdrahmane, 56, who came from 40 kilometers outside the capital.
