Thousands protest in Algeria capital, break police cordon

Algiers: Thousands of people protested for a twentieth consecutive week in Algeria's capital on Friday, defying a major police presence and after the interim president renewed a plea for dialogue.

"Go, liberate Algeria!", protesters chanted, waving the national flag, as they kept up pressure for regime insiders to step aside, more than three months after forcing longtime ruler Abdelaziz Bouteflika into resigning.

Amid shouts of "Long live Algeria! Our claims are legitimate!", hundreds of the protesters successfully forced their way through a police cordon and headed for the esplanade of the main post office, a symbol of the protest movement.

Other chants glorified the martyrs of Algeria's war of independence, on what is the country's 57th anniversary of liberation from French rule.

Around a dozen protesters were arrested, witnesses said.

Ranks of police officers wearing helmets and equipped with shields had tried to block the protesters and confine them to a pavement around 10 metres (yards) from the esplanade, while dozens of police vans were stationed near the post office.

The latest mobilisation comes two days after interim president Abdelkader Bensalah called for a national dialogue, in which he promised the state and army would remain neutral.

His mandate is theoretically due to expire on Tuesday and he warned on Wednesday against the risk of the country falling into a constitutional vacuum.

"Wherever you are, we are — we will not stop!" the protesters shouted, referring to the government.

They also chanted slogans against any elections organised by a "mafia gang".

An already delayed presidential election was postponed again early last month from a planned date of July 4, after only two potential runners — both little known — submitted their candidacies.

The regime "is in the process of reformulating the same propositions — their only objective is to keep the current system in place," said Linda Hamrouche, a 28-year-old protester.