Hirak (Algeria)

2019–2021 Algerian protests
2019–2021 Algerian protests
	Protesters on 22 February 2019 in Oran
Date	16 February 2019 – 20 March 2020; (1 year, 1 month and 4 days); 5 October 2020 – 9 October 2020; (4 days); 18 February 2021 – 30 April 2021 ; (2 months, 1 week and 5 days)
Location	Algeria Diaspora communities: France; Belgium; Switzerland; Germany; United Kingdom; Canada; United States;
Caused by	Bouteflika's 5th term; Political corruption; Electoral fraud; Restriction on the freedom of the press; Unemployment;
Goals	Resignation of Presidents Abdelaziz Bouteflika then Abdelkader Bensalah then Abdelmadjid Tebboune and their cabinets; End Army influence on politics; Constituent assembly; Democratic transition;
Methods	Demonstrations; Protest marches; Sit-ins; Online activism; Civil disobedience; General strikes;
Resulted in	Resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia; Resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika; Resignation of Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui; Presidential election postponed to 12 December 2019; Army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah calls on the constitutional council to remove Bouteflika from office; 12 December 2019 presidential election boycotted by 92% (RCD) or 60% (gov't figures) of electors; Failure to remove 'le pouvoir'; President Abdelmadjid Tebboune proposes new constitutional amendments to strengthen the judiciary and Parliament's roles.;
Parties
Anti-government protesters: Liberals; Protectionists; Berberists; Feminists; Arabists (until 2 Apr 2019); Socialists; Organizations: Civil Forum for Change (created 9 Mar 2019); Femmes algériennes pour un changement vers l'égalité (created 16 Mar 2019); Dynamiques de la société civile (created 15 Jun 2019); National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees; Rachad; Political parties: Forces of the Democratic Alternative (created 26 Jun 2019) Socialist Forces Front; Rally for Culture and Democracy; Workers' Party; Socialist Workers Party; Union for Change and Progress; Democratic and Social Movement; Party for Secularism and Democracy; ; Movement of Society for Peace; Union for Renaissance and Justice and Construction Islamic Renaissance Movement; Justice and Development Front; ; Supported by: European Parliament;	Government of Algeria The Presidency; Prime ministership; Ministry of Interior and Local Government Police; ; Ministry of National Defence General Staff Command; Directorate of Security Services; ; Political parties: National Liberation Front; Democratic National Rally; Algerian Popular Movement; Rally for Hope for Algeria; Union for Renaissance and Justice and Construction National Construction Movement; ; Others: Arabists (since 2 Apr 2019); Supported by: Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean; Pan-African Parliament; China;
Lead figures
	Non-centralized leadership Government leaders:; Abdelaziz Bouteflika; (Former President); Abdelkader Bensalah; (Former acting President); Abdelmadjid Tebboune; (President); Ahmed Gaid Salah #; (Former Chief of Staff); Saïd Chengriha ; (Chief of Staff); Ahmed Ouyahia; (Former Prime Minister); Abdelmalek Sellal; (Former Prime Minister and Bouteflika's campaign manager); Noureddine Bedoui; (Former Prime Minister); Sabri Boukadoum; (Former acting Prime Minister); Abdelaziz Djerrad; (Prime Minister); Mouad Bouchareb ; (Former Assembly Speaker); Slimane Chenine; (Assembly Speaker); Tayeb Belaiz; (Former Head of Constitutional Council); Belkacem Zeghmati; (Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals); Salah Eddine Dahmoune; (Former Minister of Interior and Local Government); Kamel Beldjoud; (Minister of Interior and Local Government)
Casualties
Injuries	183 (112 police officers)
Arrested	+1200

The 2019–2021 Algerian protests, also called Revolution of Smiles or Hirak Movement (Arabic: الحِرَاك, romanized: al-Ḥirāk, lit. 'The movement') began on 16 February 2019, six days after Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his candidacy for a fifth presidential term in a signed statement. These protests, without precedent since the Algerian Civil War, were peaceful and led the military to insist on Bouteflika's immediate resignation, which took place on 2 April 2019. By early May, a significant number of power-brokers close to the deposed administration, including the former president's younger brother Saïd, had been arrested.

The rising tensions within the Algerian regime can be traced back to the beginning of Bouteflika's rule which has been characterized by the state's monopoly on natural resources revenues used to finance the government's clientelist system and ensure its stability. The major demonstrations have taken place in the largest urban centers of Algeria from February to December 2019. Due to their significant scale, the protests attracted international media coverage and provoked reactions from several heads of states and scholarly figures.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.