MOSCOW (Sputnik) – At least 75 participants of anti-government protests were detained and 11 police officers were injured in the unrest in Algeria on Friday, Al Arabiya has reported, citing the country’s police.

The rallies against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 82, have been rocking Algeria since mid-February, sparked by the president’s announcement that he would seek his fifth term in office at the upcoming elections. Though Bouteflika subsequently backtracked on his plans to run in the presidential race, the protests continued.

Moreover, earlier this week, Algeria’s Deputy Prime Minister Ramtane Lamamra and newly appointed Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui held a joint press conference in Algiers, seeking to calm tensions and calling for dialogue to resolve the situation. Yet, the protesters continued the rallies calling for immediate political changes.

Lawyers chant slogans as they gesture near riot police outside the constitutional council during a protest denouncing an offer by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run in elections next month but not to serve a full term if re-elected, in Algiers, Algeria March 7, 2019. ©
REUTERS / Hundreds of Lawyers Protest in Algeria Against Bouteflika's Candidacy - Reports
On Monday, Bouteflika announced that he would not run in the presidential race and said that the vote, initially scheduled for 18 April, would be postponed. Bouteflika stressed that he would seek major changes to the country's government, adding that an inclusive and independent national conference would oversee reforms and the drafting of a new constitution.
However, the protesters have expressed discontent with the fact that Bouteflika did not specify when the postponed election would take place and how long the transition period would last. READ MORE: Algeria: Will Bouteflika Keep in Mind Joseph Kabila’s Experience?Source: sputniknews.com