Algeria’s popular protests, or Hirak, entered their 20th week on July 5, combining the resentment that has fueled dissent through much of the year with the anniversary of the country’s hard-won independence from France in 1962.

The achievements of the Hirak have been as unexpected as they are unparalleled. Spurred by the announcement that infirm President Abdelaziz Bouteflika would seek a fifth term, the peaceful protests forced Bouteflika's resignation in the first days of April. This was followed by the arrest of members of his circle on corruption charges and the postponement of the country’s elections. However, as civil authorities crumble in the face of popular anger, another figure has come to the fore. Gaid Salah, the chief of staff of the army, has assumed the public face of the embattled regime over caretaker President Abdelkader Bensalah.

Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Algerian cities July 5, with some carrying placards proclaiming, “Yes to a civilian state! No to a military dictatorship." Nevertheless, in the face of an increased security presence throughout Algiers, they marched on, dismissing the offer of a weakened Bensalah for a national dialogue. Bensalah's temporary mandate was extended beyond its constitutional limits on July 9. The state and army have remained neutral, declaiming, "No dialogue with traitors."

“Since Bouteflika's removal, Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah has been the true center of power, not interim President Bensalah or Prime Minister [Noureddine] Bedoui,” Sharan Grewal of the Brookings Institution told Al-Monitor. “They are simply figureheads designed to put a civilian face on the real power broker.”