DOCSLIB.ORG

The Political Crisis - the Power Struggle - Delayed Constitutional Reforms - Threats - Predictable Outcome of Elections - Conclusion

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Political Crisis - the Power Struggle - Delayed Constitutional Reforms - Threats - Predictable Outcome of Elections - Conclusion A monthly report issued by the Unit of Contemporary Political Thought for the analysis and evaluation of crucial events in the Islamic world Algeria The Challenges and Realities Of the 2014 Presidential Elections - Introduction - The Political Crisis - The Power Struggle - Delayed Constitutional Reforms - Threats - Predictable outcome of Elections - Conclusion March,2014 © KFCRIS, 2014 lgeria is undergoing conflict between its loci Aof power in light of growing discord between those who call for a boycott of the elections and those who advocate participation in voting. This issue of Masarat will shed light on preparations taking place in Algeria for the elections and reactions to President Bouteflika’s decision to run for a fourth term despite his deteriorating health. It will also discuss the role the intelligence service has played in the run-up to the presidential race and will analyze the views of some Algerian political leaders on the upcoming election and the outcome of Bouteflika’s almost 15 years of rule. 4 17 April 2014 Profiles of the Presidential Candidates Abdelaziz Bouteflika Ali Fawzi Rebaine Running for a fourth term after 15 years An ophthalmologist from a family of of presidency. revolutionaries who fought for Algeria’s independence. He is running for a third time and is known as a human rights ac- tivist. He is the leader of the Ahd 54 po- litical party. Louisa Hanoune Born in Jijel Province (east of Algiers) to a modest family. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree and has been a political activist since 1979. She was arrested more than once in the 1980s because of her political activities. She has been the Secretary General of Algeria’s Workers’ Party since 2003 and is a well- known figure in the Algerian trade union with a reputation as a human rights activist. She was elected to Parliament in 1997. She is running for presidency for the third time: her first candidacy was in 2004. March,2014 5 Moussa Touati Abdelaziz Belaid Born in Medea, he had a military, security Born in the Batna region, east of Algiers. and civil career. He has long been active in He holds an MD and is a Bachelor of Law. many associations and is the president of He is active in the ruling party and in the Algerian National Front party. This is youth organizations. He resigned in 2011 his third time running for election. from the National Liberation Front (FLN) and founded the Future Front Party. Ali Benflis Worked in the justice system and is now a lawyer. He is a human right activist and served as the chairman of the elec- toral campaign for Bouteflika in 1999. He was appointed prime minister in 2000 and was the Secretary General of the FLN in 2001. He ran for presidency for the first time in 2004. March,2014 www.kfcris.com 6 Introduction Algeria’s upcoming presidential elections, However, this does not make the country im- due to take place on April 17, will witness the mune to the winds of change. Observers argue nomination of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for that there is, indeed, a crisis in the country: a a fourth term, even after widespread speculation political vacuum that might cost the country its about his deteriorating health and absence from stability and result in waves of revolts similar to media appearances. The nomination of President those of its neighbors. Bouteflika as the official candidate for the -Na The first signs of this crisis appeared after the tional Liberation Front Party is supposed to put announcement of Bouteflika’s nomination for a an end to debate about the legitimacy of a fourth fourth term, which, due to the President’s health term. However, his nomination did not end dis- problems and extensive tenure in office, was re- cussion amongst Algeria’s political elites and ceived negatively. The real struggle, however, party members on the nature of the challenges goes deeper than public disapproval of another Algeria is facing today, the hopes and demands term for Algeria’s longest-serving president. of a large segment of the population and, the out- The political arena in Algeria hosts many new come of Bouteflika’s 15 years of presidency. voices, both popular and partisan, and diverse Algeria, unlike the rest of countries of the figures have emerged on the scene and called Maghreb, did not witness a regime-collapsing openly for change. These political actors and revolution, as Tunisia and Libya did, or large- figures, both inside and outside the regime, ex- scale demonstrations for reform, like the ones emplify the real political crisis and the tensions that took place in Morocco and Mauritania. brought about by the upcoming elections. • • • The Political Crisis All active parties in Algeria today, members whereas others argue that the structure of the of the regime as well as the opposition, recog- system itself, and its mechanisms for decision- nize the existence of a political crisis that re- making, are responsible for its inability to re- quires not only reform but fundamental struc- spond to the needs of the new generation. tural change. Louisa Hanoune, head of Algeria’s Djamila Bouhired, one of the symbols of the Workers’ Party and the only female candidate National Liberation Movement during the French for the presidency, recently spoke out about the colonial era, recently spoke out about the coun- “serious political crisis that threatens the unity try’s problems, calling attention to systemic brib- and stability of Algeria.” Hanoune’s perspective ery, lack of accountability for corrupt officials, is recognized by other political parties on either and a repressed civil society. In 2009, Djamila side of the regime/opposition divide, but there Bouhired wrote a letter to President Bouteflika is considerable debate about the origins and na- (published by Al-Watan newspaper in 2009) in ture of this crisis. Some argue that the political which she described the difficult conditions she decisions of the government caused the crisis, and other resistance fighters were experiencing March,2014 7 and rejected a fourth presidential term for Presi- important institutions as well as all government dent Bouteflika. A statement like that, made by an departments to the point that successive govern- important Algerian personality, has deep signifi- ments have failed to manage the country’s affairs cance. Algeria’s current ruling class legitimizes or implement any of its decisions.” its rule based on its involvement in the revolution Hamrouche expressed his opposition to a and the liberation of Algeria; to be called corrupt, fourth term for the president, stating that “the incompetent, decadent and a threat to the unity regime of President Bouteflika has inevitably and stability of the country by the first generation disintegrated.” In a press conference held in Al- of revolutionaries is a deep wound to its image. giers on February 27, 2014, he confirmed that Bouhired’s position is shared by prominent he would be unable to achieve democracy in the Algerian personalities such as Mouloud Ham- country without the support of the army in dis- rouche, who served as the country’s Prime Min- mantling the Bouteflika regime. At the beginning ister from 1989 to 1991. In an interview with Al- of this year, it seemed as though leaders from Khabar on March 24, 2014, Hamrouche stated among the regime and some of the opposition parties had reached an agreement to nominate Hamrouche for the presidency. However, this consensus collapsed after the surprising news of Bouteflika’s decision to run for election for a fourth time. In Algeria, nominations for presi- dent must arrive through a consensus between Mouloud Hamrouche political institutions (such as the Liberation Front Party and other “administration” parties) and the He was born in 1945 in Skikda Province and par- military apparatus (led by the General of Staff ticipated in the Algerian war of liberation. He holds and the intelligence establishment). Hamrouche, a Master’s degree in political science and served despite having formed a strong network of sup- as prime minister between 1989 and 1991 under porters from among Algerian public figures and President Chadli. He is known as a political and political parties, lacked this institutional consent economic reformist. He announced his candidacy and eventually withdrew his candidacy. for the presidency in 2014, believing that President Opposition to Bouteflika continued when Bouteflika would not run, but withdrew from the Liamine Zeroual, president of Algeria from race after the announcement of the latter’s candida- 1994-1998, published a four-page letter about cy. However, he opposes a fourth term for Boutef- lika and is highly critical of the accomplishments the upcoming presidential election addressed to of Bouteflika’s 15 years of presidency. He has a the Algerian people. In his message, published reform agenda that targets Algeria’s deep-rooted on March 19, 2014, he alluded to his view on problems. He is supported by a large section of the President Bouteflika’s decision to run for a political establishment, both the loyalists and the fourth term. He also expressed his opinion on opposition, as well as by many from among the the outcomes of Bouteflika’s 15 years in office. ranks of the military establishment. Zeroual voiced his opposition to Bouteflika’s nomination for a fourth term, arguing that his that the country was living “a tragic situation that deteriorating health was a major factor in his is impossible for the regime to treat,” adding that ineligibility for the presidency. He also said that “the country, in my opinion, is facing a serious that he was against the President Bouteflika’s situation. The length of this crisis has affected 2008 proposed amendment of Article 74, regard- March,2014 www.kfcris.com 8 ing the presidential term limit.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Representing the Algerian Civil War: Literature, History, and the State
    Representing the Algerian Civil War: Literature, History, and the State By Neil Grant Landers A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in French in the GRADUATE DIVISION of the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Committee in charge: Professor Debarati Sanyal, Co-Chair Professor Soraya Tlatli, Co-Chair Professor Karl Britto Professor Stefania Pandolfo Fall 2013 1 Abstract of the Dissertation Representing the Algerian Civil War: Literature, History, and the State by Neil Grant Landers Doctor of Philosophy in French Literature University of California, Berkeley Professor Debarati Sanyal, Co-Chair Professor Soraya Tlatli, Co-Chair Representing the Algerian Civil War: Literature, History, and the State addresses the way the Algerian civil war has been portrayed in 1990s novelistic literature. In the words of one literary critic, "The Algerian war has been, in a sense, one big murder mystery."1 This may be true, but literary accounts portray the "mystery" of the civil war—and propose to solve it—in sharply divergent ways. The primary aim of this study is to examine how three of the most celebrated 1990s novels depict—organize, analyze, interpret, and "solve"—the civil war. I analyze and interpret these novels—by Assia Djebar, Yasmina Khadra, and Boualem Sansal—through a deep contextualization, both in terms of Algerian history and in the novels' contemporary setting. This is particularly important in this case, since the civil war is so contested, and is poorly understood. Using the novels' thematic content as a cue for deeper understanding, I engage through them and with them a number of elements crucial to understanding the civil war: Algeria's troubled nationalist legacy; its stagnant one-party regime; a fear, distrust, and poor understanding of the Islamist movement and the insurgency that erupted in 1992; and the unending, horrifically bloody violence that piled on throughout the 1990s.
    [Show full text]
  • The Left and the Algerian Catastrophe
    THE LEFT AND THE ALGERIAN CATASTROPHE H UGH R OBERTS n explaining their sharply opposed positions following the attacks on the IWorld Trade Center and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001, two promi- nent writers on the American Left, Christopher Hitchens and Noam Chomsky, both found it convenient to refer to the Algerian case. Since, for Hitchens, the attacks had been the work of an Islamic fundamentalism that was a kind of fascism, he naturally saw the Algerian drama in similar terms: Civil society in Algeria is barely breathing after the fundamentalist assault …We let the Algerians fight the Islamic-fascist wave without saying a word or lending a hand.1 This comment was probably music to the ears of the Algerian government, which had moved promptly to get on board the US-led ‘coalition’ against terror, as Chomsky noted in articulating his very different view of things: Algeria, which is one of the most murderous states in the world, would love to have US support for its torture and massacres of people in Algeria.2 This reading of the current situation was later supplemented by an account of its genesis: The Algerian government is in office because it blocked the democratic election in which it would have lost to mainly Islamic-based groups. That set off the current fighting.3 The significance of these remarks is that they testify to the fact that the Western Left has not addressed the Algerian drama properly, so that Hitchens and Chomsky, neither of whom pretend to specialist knowledge of the country, have THE LEFT AND THE ALGERIAN CATASTROPHE 153 not had available to them a fund of reliable analysis on which they might draw.
    [Show full text]
  • Panellists' Bios
    A Decade after Rwanda: The United Nations and the Responsibility to Protect A Panel Discussion on the tenth anniversary of the Rwanda genocide Biographies of the Panellists ANYIDOHO, Henry Kwami Major-General (retired) Henry Kwami Anyidoho, a graduate of the Ghana Military Academy, is one of Ghana’s most distinguished military officers. During his almost 41 years of service in the Ghana Armed Forces, he held numerous command positions, including Commander of the Army Signal Regiment, Commandant of the Military Academy and Training Schools, Director-General Logistics, Joint Operations and Plans at the General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces and General Officer commanding the Northern Command of the Ghana Army. General Anyidoho’s involvement in international peacekeeping operations includes the UN Emergency Force II (UNEF II) at the Sinai; the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for which he was the chief military press and information officer in the early 1980s; the ECOMOG forces sent to Liberia in 1990; and the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). He served as Deputy Force Commander and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), where he lived and operated throughout the civil war. Thereafter he was posted to the Ministry of Defence of Ghana, as the Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence and a member of the IPA/OAU task force on the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention Management and Resolution. He was the UN expert that prepared the document for discussion at the first meeting of the Heads of the Armed Forces of the OAU central organ in Addis Ababa in June 1996.
    [Show full text]
  • Algeria 2012 Human Rights Report
    ALGERIA 2012 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Algeria is a multiparty republic whose head of state and government (president) is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The president has the constitutional authority to appoint and dismiss cabinet members and the prime minister. A 2008 constitutional amendment eliminated presidential term limits, and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been in office since 1999. The legislative elections held on May 10 did not result in significant changes to the composition of the government. Foreign observers characterized the elections as largely peaceful, but pointed to low voter turnout and a high rate of ballot invalidity. Security forces, reporting to civilian authorities, maintained stability and order throughout the voting process. The three most significant continuing human rights problems were restrictions on freedom of assembly and association, lack of judicial independence, and reported overuse of pretrial detention. Other human rights concerns were limitations on the ability of citizens to change their government, excessive use of force by police, and poor prison conditions. Additionally, widespread corruption accompanied reports of limited government transparency. Women faced violence and discrimination, and the government maintained restrictions on workers’ rights. Impunity remained a problem. The government did not publicly provide information on actions taken against police and security service officials. Abuses by illegal paramilitary forces remained a significant problem. Terrorist groups committed a significant number of attacks against government officials, members of security forces, and, to a lesser extent, civilians. Government efforts continued through the year with the intention of eliminating elements of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Algeria.
    [Show full text]
  • Statement by Her Execellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf President of the Republic of Liberia and Chairperson African Union High
    STATEMENT BY HER EXECELLENCY MRS. ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA AND CHAIRPERSON AFRICAN UNION HIGH LEVEL COMMITTEE ON THE POST 2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA PRESENTING THE FINAL HLC REPORT TO THE 26TH ORDINARY SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE AFRICAN UNION January 30 – 31 2016 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 1 Your Excellency President Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad and the Chair of the African Union, Excellencies Heads of State and Government here present, Your Excellency Dr Nkosana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen: It is with honor and privilege that I present to Your Excellencies, the final report of the High Level Committee (HLC) on the Post-2015 Agenda. We were tasked by this august body to ensure that Africa’s priorities find their rightful place in the new global development agenda, which were to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As you may recall, the 21st Ordinary Session of the African Union of May 26-27th, 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia created a 10-head of state and government - committee to craft a continental framework that would be fed into the United Nation’s Post-2015 global development agenda. The Summit selected two representatives from each region of the continent. North Africa: H.E Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania and H.E Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria. East Africa: H.E Haile Meriam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia and H.E Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius. Southern Africa: H.E Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa and H.E Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of Namibia.
    [Show full text]
  • Violent Islamist Extremism and Terror in Africa
    ISS PAPER 286 | OCTOBER 2015 Violent Islamist extremism and terror in Africa Jakkie Cilliers Summary This paper presents an overview of large-scale violence by Islamist extremists in key African countries. The paper builds on previous publications of the Institute for Security Studies on the nexus between development and conflict trends, and it seeks to provide an overview of the evolution of the associated terrorism through quantitative and contextual analysis using various large datasets. The focus is on the development and links among countries experiencing the worst of this phenomenon, especially Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Mali, Nigeria and Somalia, as well as the impact of events in the Middle East on these African countries. RADICAL AND VIOLENT Islam is complex, and an explanation of its causality and evolution is inherently controversial and inevitably incomplete. This paper argues that one should distinguish between events in North Africa, where developments are closely related to and influenced by what happens in the Middle East, and the evolution in north-east Nigeria of Boko Haram, which has a character more closely resembling a sect. Somalia, the final country to be included here, finds itself somewhere between the situation in North African countries and that of Nigeria, in that al-Shabaab is more closely linked to events outside its immediate environment but does not form part of the trajectory of North African countries although the divided clan politics in Somalia resemble the factionalism currently evident in Libya. Afghanistan, Sudan and Bin Laden The expulsion of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1989 was the last hot conflict of the Cold War.
    [Show full text]
  • Discrimination and Racial Segregation Against the Palestinians Living Inside the Boundaries of Israel
    Presentation his edition of Dialogue is intended to As you will be able to see, the facts set out by supply public opinion and first of all the reporter and those that took part in the subscribers and readers of our review, discussion, speak for themselves. We would T th th with excerpts from the 4 and 5 December just like to complement this with a point, that 2006 Paris Session , which prepared the shows objectively how the support the International Solidarity Conference with international labour and democratic movement Palestinian Women, held in Algiers the 9th, 10th must give to the protection of the Palestinian and 11th December 2006 and chaired by Louisa people, is not founded on a sectarian dogmatic Hanoune, Member of parliament at the position. Algerian National Popular Assembly. This is an excerpt from an article published on Following these five days of discussion in Paris the official web site of the Franco-Israeli and Algiers, the participants at this conference, Chamber of Commerce1 which reads as on the proposal of Abdelmajid Sidi Saïd, follows: General Secretary of the General Union of Workers of Algeria, adopted a declaration “This favourable climate has meant that the which concluded in these terms: Israeli government has been able to pursue the liberal reforms started by its predecessors: “We call upon the international labour private agencies helping the unemployed find movement, the international trade union jobs (Wisconsin Plan), free competition organisation, the regional and national trade between banks (Bahar reform), privatisation union organisations and the International (like the Ashdod oil refineries).
    [Show full text]
  • Bouteflika's Uncertain Fifth Term
    MENARA Future Notes No. 16, January 2019 BOUTEFLIKA’S UNCERTAIN FIFTH TERM Francesca Caruso This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No 693244 Middle East and North Africa Regional Architecture: Mapping Geopolitical Shifts, regional Order and Domestic Transformations FUTURE NOTES No. 16, January 2019 BOUTEFLIKA’S UNCERTAIN FIFTH TERM Francesca Caruso1 POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ENDORSEMENT OF BOUTEFLIKA’S FIFTH TERM In April 2019, Algerian voters will go to the polls to elect their next president. On 28 October 2018, Djamel Ould Abbes, chairman of the ruling National Liberation Front (Front de Libération Nationale, FLN), declared that the incumbent president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, is the party’s designated candidate for the elections. Bouteflika, who was first elected in 1999 and is the longest- serving Algerian head of state, has yet to announce his candidacy. The FLN’s announcement does not mean that he has accepted or that he will not drop out closer to the time in favour of another candidate. However, for the moment the only obstacle to his re-election seems to be his advanced age, 81, and deteriorating health: the other candidates pose no threat and reflect the non-existence of any real opposition.2 The FLN’s announcement came as no surprise. Despite the fact that the incumbent has been weak since suffering a stroke in 2013 – which led to a reduction in the number of public appearances he makes, during which he is seen in a wheelchair – for months, Bouteflika’s camp has been calling for him to be elected for a fifth term.
    [Show full text]
  • Focus on the Middle East & North Africa
    FOCUS ON THE MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA The IPI World Press Freedom Review is dedicated to the 110 journalists who lost their lives in 2009 Alaa Abdel-Wahab Natalia Estemirova Ernesto “Bart” Maravilla Wasi Ahmad Qureshi Mohamed Amin Adan Abdulle Marco Antonio Estrada Oria Yaasir Mario Fabián Ramírez López Suhaib Adnan Jolito Evardo Juan Daniel Martínez Gil Ando Ratovonirina Benjie Adolfo Basil Ibrahim Faraj Ray Merisco Fernando “Ranny” Razon José Everardo Aguilar Gabriel Fino Noriega Martín Javier Miranda Avilés Alejandro “Bong” Reblando Jawed Ahmad José Emilio Galindo Robles Norberto Miranda Madrid Harold Humberto Rivas Quevedo Said Tahlil Ahmed Santos Gatchalian Omidreza Mirsayafi Bernardo Rivera Malik Akhmedilov José Givonaldo Vieira Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay Diego de Jesús Rojas Velázquez Shafig Amrakhov María Eugenia Guerrero Ernesto Montañez Valdivia Ernie Rollin José Bladimir Antuna García Raja Assad Hameed Marife “Neneng” Montaño Hernando Salas Rojas Henry Araneta Janullah Hashimzada Rosell Morales Napoleon Salaysay Mark Gilbert “Mac-Mac” Arriola Hassan Mayow Hassan Sultan Munadi Orel Sambrano Saleem Tahir Awan Hassan Zubeyr Haji Hassan Rafael Munguía Ortiz Rolando Santiz Anastasja Baburowa Cihan Hayirsevener Dalvison Nogueira de Souza Puniyamoorthy Sathiyamoorthy Eliseo Barrón Hernández Ferney Henao Victor Nuñez Uma Singh Rubello Bataluna Orhan Hijran Francis Nyaruri Francisco “Ian” Subang Arturo Betia Muktar Mohamed Hirabe Martín Ocampo Páez Haidar Hashim Suhail Romeo Jimmy Cabillo Nur Muse Hussein Bayo Ohu Andres “Andy” Teodoro Marites Cablitas Jean Paul Ibarra Ramírez Carlos Ortega Samper Daniel Tiamson Hannibal Cachuela Muhammad Imran Bruno Jacquet Ossébi Jojo Trajano Jepon Cadagdagon Siddique Bacha Khan Joel Parcon Jorge Alberto Velázquez López John Caniban Musa Khankhel Ismael Pasigna Aamir Wakil Antonio Castillo Michelle Lang Gennady Pavlyuk Abdirisak Mohamed Warsame Bruno Koko Chirambiza Bienvenido Legarte Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • ALGERIA COUNTRY of ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service
    ALGERIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 17 January 2013 ALGERIA 17 JANUARY 2013 Contents Preface Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.08 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 CURRENCY ............................................................................................................... 2.07 3. HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Early history to 1989 ............................................................................................ 3.01 Events between 1988 - 1998: elections, military takeover and civil conflict ... 3.02 Events between 1999 - 2010 ............................................................................... 3.07 The charter for peace and national reconciliation .......................................... 3.14 The ‘Arab Spring’ 2011 ......................................................................................... 3.17 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS .......................................................................................... 4.01 Political developments ........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections 2007 Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections Volume 41
    Couverture_Ang:Mise en page 1 27.3.2008 14:33 Page 1 Print ISSN: 1994-0963 Electronic ISSN: 1994-098X INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION CHRONICLE OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2007 CHRONICLE OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS VOLUME 41 Published annually in English and French since 1967, the Chronicle of Parliamen tary Elections reports on all national legislative elections held throughout the world during a given year. It includes information on the electoral system, the background and outcome of each election as well as statistics on the results, distribution of votes and distribution of seats according to political group, sex and age. The information contained in the Chronicle can also be found in the IPU’s database on national parliaments, PARLINE. PARLINE is accessible on the IPU web site (http://www.ipu.org) and is continually updated. Inter-Parliamentary Union VOLUME 41 5, chemin du Pommier Case postale 330 CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex Geneva – Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 919 41 50 Fax: +41 22 919 41 60 2007 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.ipu.org 2007 Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections VOLUME 41 1 January - 31 December 2007 © Inter-Parliamentary Union 2008 Print ISSN: 1994-0963 Electronic ISSN: 1994-098X Photo credits Front cover: Photo AFP/Pascal Pavani Back cover: Photo AFP/Tugela Ridley Inter-Parliamentary Union Office of the Permanent Observer of 5, chemin du Pommier the IPU to the United Nations Case postale 330 220 East 42nd Street CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex Suite 3002 Geneva — Switzerland New York, N.Y. 10017 USA Tel.: + 41 22
    [Show full text]
  • Analysts Discuss Significance of Algerian Presidential Elections
    Analysts Discuss Significance of Algerian Presidential Elections Photo Credit: Farouk Batiche/Getty In preparation for the Algerian presidential elections on April 17, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems published an Algerian election guide, which includes information on the legal framework for Algeria’s elections as well as some background on the six presidential candidates: Abdelaziz Belaid, Ali Benflis, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Louisa Hanoune, Ali Faouzi Rebaine, and Moussa Touati. Geoff Porter estimates that Secretary of State John Kerry‘s trip to Algeria last week was a calculated move, aimed at ensuring stability in Algeria and confirming Abdelaziz Bouteflika‘s popular support. Porter explains that Algeria “has the 20th-largest defense budget in the world, spending more on defense than either Pakistan or Iran, and it has a well-equipped and well-trained military to show for it.” He cautions, however, “were Algerian voters to refuse to re-elect a president that they have only rarely seen in the last year, or were they to refuse to recognize the legitimacy of his re-election, or were he to be elected and die in office, Algeria could cease to be a big, reliable bulwark of stability.” Thus, he concludes, “For now, [the U.S.] should draw Algeria closer, through diplomacy in Algiers and in Washington. Through trust comes transparency and through transparency, strategic surprises can be sidestepped.” Writing from Tunis, Alexis Artaud de La Ferrière comments on the importance of the Algerian elections from a regional perspective. He says, “Significantly, there is no discernible difference (or even debate) amongst the candidates regarding foreign policy.
    [Show full text]