Algeria's presidential election of April 2004: A backward step in the democratisation process or a forward step towards stability?

Third World Quarterly

Volumn 25, Issue 8, 2004, Pages 1525-1540

  Bouandel, Youcef ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DEMOCRATIZATION; ELECTORAL SYSTEM; MILITARY INTERVENTION; NATIONAL SECURITY; POLITICAL INSTABILITY;

AFRICA; ALGERIA; NORTH AFRICA;

EID: 33645334287     PISSN: 01436597     EISSN: 13602241     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/0143659042000308500     Document Type: Article

References (30)

1. Local and regional elections were held in June 1990. For further details of these respective elections, see B Iratni & MS Tahi 'The aftermath of Algeria's first free local elections,' Government and Opposition, 26(4), 1991, pp 273-96.
2. For further details, see Y Bouandel, 'Algerian National Popular Assembly. Election of December 1991', Representation, 32(117), 1993-1994, pp 10-14.
3. Interview with members of the banned FIS, Algiers, July 1992.
4. Y Bouandel, 'Algeria's first free presidential election, November 1995', Representation, 34(3/4), 1997, pp 173-179.
5. Y Bouandel & Y Zoubir, 'Algeria's elections. The prelude to democratisation', Third World Quarterly, 19(2), 1998, pp 177-190.
6. Y Bouandel, 'The presidential election in Algeria, April 1999', Electoral Studies, 20, 2001, pp 157-163.
7. For further details see Y Bouandel, 'Bouteflika's reforms and the question of human rights', The Journal of North African Studies, 7(2), 2002, pp 23-42.
8. For a good account of the background to the election, and in particular the tragic events in Kabilya, see H Saleh, 'Algeria insurrection', Middle East Report, 201, 2001.
9. Throughout Algeria's independent history, the region has mounted serious challenges to successive regimes. In 1963, the army had to intervene to crush rebellion in the region. In April 1980, very strong demonstrations against the regime were held in Kabilya in which hundreds of people were killed. The events are known today as 'the Berber Spring'.
10. S Meisler, United Nations, The First 50 Years, New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1995, pp 209-210.
11. K Nezzar, Bouteflika, l'homme et son bilan, Apic, 2003.
12. M Benchicou, Bouteflika: Une Imposture Algerienne, Algiers: Editions Le Matin, 2004.
13. The Algerian Movement of Justice and Democracy (MAJD) of the late Prime Minister Kasdi Merbah is just one example of these.
14. Y Bouandel, 'Algeria: A controversial election', Mediterranean Politics, 7(2), 2002, pp 96-104.
15. During interviews in the Eastern province of Jijel, a school headmaster said: 'I have been a militant in the FLN since 1969. Even in the days of single party-rule, we always held a general assembly to elect delegates to the Party's congresses in Algiers. When Benflis became Secretary-General of the FLN, he fired the elected party's chairmen at the local and regional levels and replaced them with appointed ones. It is those appointees that went to the Eighth Congress and gave him all those powers'.
16. For further details on this, see Echourouk El Yawmi, 31 December 2003.
17. For further details on this position see Le Monde, 27 January 2004.
18. For further details see, Al Shourouk El Yawmi, 20 April 2004.
19. This is based on some interviews conducted in Algiers in April 2004. An Indian film is a typically Algerian expression that refers to situations that are clearly not believable whilst someone tries to convince you otherwise.
20. This section is based on the author's personal observation in several towns and cities in Algeria and also numerous Television Networks.
21. Abdelmoumeme Khalifa became the symbol of Algeria's free market and entrepreneurship. In a short period of time he built an economic empire that included an airline company, a private bank, a satellite television station in Paris. He also counted many powerful personalities in Algeria among his circle of friends. His detractors claim that he was the figurehead behind the biggest money laundering operation in Algeria. His empire collapsed in 2003 and many investors lost their savings in his bank. He fled to London after the Algerian authorities issued an international arrest warrant against him.
22. Algerian Television, ENTV, 9 April 2004.
23. Unless otherwise stated, the results for the election are taken from El Moudjahid, 13 April 2004.
24. This is based on interviews conducted with a number of directors of voting centres in the province of Jijel in Eastern Algeria in April 2004.
25. Y Bouandel, 'Algeria's first free presidential'.
26. Y Bouandel, 'The presidential election in Algeria'.
27. His highest score of 31.92 per cent came in the province of Tizi Ouzou whereas 30.53 per cent was his second highest which was recorded in Bejaia.
28. Al Shourouk El Yawmi, 20 April 2004.
29. Plural presidential elections in the Arab world are a rarity. Except for Lebanon where the practice has a long history, it is a relatively new phenomenon in countries such as Mauritania, Tunisia and Algeria. However, despite such plural elections taking place, incumbent presidents always won. In other instances, the practice seems to be towards turning the few remaining republics into 'monarchies'. Hence, in Syria, when former president Hafiz Assad died in 1999, the constitution was amended with the view of enabling his son, current president Bechar Assad, to take over. It was widely believed that Saddam Hussein was preparing his son, Qussay, to take over. The American invasion of Iraq in March 2003 completely changed this scenario. There are strong indications that both Hosni Mubarek of Egypt and the Libyan leader Muammer Qaddafi are preparing their respective sons Djamel and Saif El Islam to succeed them.
30. Since its independence from France in 1962, Algeria has had seven presidents and four Constitutions. Ben Bella, Boumediene, Bendjedid and Zeroual had their constitution is 1964, 1976, 1989 and 1995 respectively. Boudiaf and Kafi, who ruled for 6 and 18 months respectively, did not.