Lack of Change in Algeria May Hurt Economy - Lawmaker

ALGIERS (Sputnik) - Lack of change in Algeria will keep people in the streets and hurt the economy, triggering new protests over economic hardships, an opposition legislator told Sputnik on Saturday.

"Lack of action on the demands of the people will only prolong the crisis and create new problems, including economic ones. If nothing is done, there will be new waves of protests over economic decline and the fallout effect it will have on the social sphere and the nation’s buying power", Nasser Hamdadush, the parliamentary leader of the Movement of Society for Peace, an Islamic party, said.

He called for a nationwide dialogue and a solution that would be acceptable for all in order to guarantee a peaceful political transition.

READ MORE: Algeria's Interim President Promises Free Presidential Election — Reports

The statement comes after hundreds of thousands took to the streets in the national capital Algiers on 12 April to demand more change, four days after parliamentary speaker Bensalah was sworn in by the legislature. The police detained 180 demonstrators after clashes erupted.

The North African nation has been rocked by months of protests, which ended the 20-year rule of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika last week. His ally, Abdelkader Bensalah, took over as interim president to organise an election in 90 days, prompting calls for the entire ruling elite to quit.

Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.