![Algerian lawyers stage a protest march against the candidacy of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for a fifth term in Algiers, Algeria on 7 March 2019 [Farouk Batiche/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Protest-against-candidacy-of-President-Abdelaziz-Bouteflika-for-a-fifth-term-in-Algeria20190307_2_35308229_42361506.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Algerian lawyers have reiterated their calls for judicial independence and respect for public demands during a march held on Thursday in the capital. The protest culminated with a rally in front of the court of Sidi M’hamed and Oran.
The lawyers expressed their support for public demands, calling for changing the regime and condemned what they described as the authority’s intransigence and ignorance of the demands of the people. They sent a message identifying themselves as the defence mechanism representing the voice of the people supporting them and defending the legitimacy of their demands.
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The lawyer’s protests, which started on 22 February 2019, have been seen as an attempt to maintain the independence of the judicial branch. This follows president Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation following widespread popular protests.