Pandemic put Algeria’s protests on pause — will they now resume?

ALGIERS: For over a year Algeria’s defiant anti-government “Hirak” protesters seemed unstoppable, but weekly demonstrations skidded to a halt due to restrictions to end the coronavirus crisis. With two months to go before a key referendum on constitutional reform — a vote the government hopes will meet their demands — many expect the protests to soon return. “The will to change the mode of governance is still present,” said political scientist Louisa Driss Ait Hamadouche. While the mass demonstrations in the North African nation may be on hold, the anger remains and, many believe, could soon rekindle the street protests. “Although both hypotheses are possible, the most likely is the...