The abdication of ailing President Bouteflika has been met with celebrations on the streets of Algiers but his downfall only confirms the power-grab of the military over the Algerian political scene. Protests have taken the vying clans within the Algerian regime by surprise unveiling their fierce rivalries. Abdelkader Bensalah, a senior establishment figure, often stood in for the ailing president at official functions and supported his aborted attempt to seek a fifth term. If Bensalah seeks to be President on a permanent basis, it will infuriate those intent on root-and-branch reform. Another member of l’ancien régime, Liamine Zéroual, Algeria’s president from 1994 to 1999, claimed to have been asked to lead the transitional government.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 03, 2019 23:26 UTC