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.

🇩🇿Algeria: based on all available information, reports, today's demonstrations against #Bouteflika were even BIGGER than the turn out on March 8. Something historic is afoot in the country. #حراك_15_مارس pic.twitter.com/bkDwiNbV5v — Weddady (@weddady) 15 марта 2019 г.

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.

One of the largest protests in the history of #Algeria occurred today.

The trick the generals & the #Bouteflika clan used some days ago is very obviously not enough; the upheaval is on.pic.twitter.com/A96Gtbf0oX — Joseph Bahout باحوط (@jobahout) 15 марта 2019 г.

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?