Newspapers in Algeria
The spread of daily newspapers in Algeria is relatively limited (27 newspaper
excl. Per 1,000 residents, 2000). In 1994 there were six daily newspapers with a
total circulation of about 1.2 million copies. El-Moudjahid ('Freedom Fighter')
is Algeria's largest daily newspaper (390,000 copies) and the government's
official language pipeline. It started in 1965 as a body for FLN and is
published in both an Arabic and a French edition. The smaller regional
newspapers, Ash-Shab (or Ech-Chaab, 'The People') in Constantine and
al-Jumhuriyya (or El Djoumhouria, 'The Republic') in Oran, on the other hand,
have been completely Arabized.
The press, like the news agency Algérie Presse Service (APS, founded
in 1962), the radio company Entreprise Nationale de Radiodiffusion Sonore
(ENRS) and the TV company Entreprise Nationale de Télévision (ENTV),
are subject to the Ministry of Information. Nevertheless, the French-language
weekly Algérie-Actualité (250,000 copies) has had many critical reports. An
important step in the development was taken in 1988, when a FLN-independent
journalist association was formed. The new constitution from 1989 also gave the
media greater independence. After the 1992 coup, however, several newspapers
have been banned from publishing bans, and the unrest of recent years. several
journalists murdered by Islamist extremists have forced the media into great
caution.
There are 244 radio and 110 TV receivers per 1,000 residents (2000).
Culture
Algeria, together with neighboring countries
in northwestern Africa, shares a culture with roots in
ancient Arab-Berber traditions. Foreign intrusions,
however, have left traces in the form of, for example,
Roman ruins at Djemila, Tipaza and Timgad, while other
buildings are reminiscent of Ottoman (Turkish) or
Spanish architecture.
During the French colonial period, the country's old
Muslim culture was pushed aside. Algerian Muslims'
struggle to restore Islam's dominance is therefore not
only religiously conditioned but also an attempt to
preserve the older indigenous culture and lifestyle that
the colonialists suppressed. The French era has left
clear traces in contemporary Algerian art and
literature, among other things by creating a secularized
middle class with an interest in Western-influenced
culture.
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Countryaah:
Latest population statistics of Algeria, including religious profiles and major languages spoken as well as population growth rates in next three decades.
Literature and poetry are available in both Arabic
and Berber languages. Oral storytelling is still alive
despite the rapid urbanization that has weakened
traditional cultural expressions. At parties, family
gatherings and meetings, it is common to sing and
perform poetry and stories for easy accompaniment. The
Raï art - a kind of modern lamentation with political
and social content that emerged in the cosmopolitan Oran
- has flourished in cabarets and cafes. The big Raï
stars include Cheikha Remitti (1923-2006), Bellemou
Messaoud (born 1947) and Cheb Khaled (born 1960). For
Algeria public policy, please check
loverists.
One of the country's most famous musicians was the
Berber Lounès Matoub, who was murdered in 1998. As a red
thread in his music was the message of the Berber's
right to maintain his cultural identity. His music was
banned in Algerian radio and TV, and the terrorist group
GIA (see Modern History) threatened him with death. In
July 2011, two GIA members were sentenced to twelve
years in prison for the murder.
French writers born in Algeria, such as Albert Camus
(1913-1960) and Emmanuel Roblès (1914-1995), formed the
influential Algiers school before independence in 1962,
helping to make many native writers famous. Among
Algerian writers who have become style-forming are Kateb
Yacine (1929–1989). Other writers of importance are
Assia Djebar (1936–2015) and Rachid Boudjedra (born
1941). The novelist Abdelouahab Aissaoui (born 1985) was
awarded an international award in 2020 with the support
of the British Booker Prize Foundation to encourage
translations of Arabic fiction into English.
The filmmaker Merzak Allouache (born 1944) has been
noted far beyond the borders of Algeria, including for
the film Salut Cousin! (1996) and El Taaib (Le Repenti
in French, The Repentant in English) who won the award
at the Cannes 2012. The film Battle of Algiers, which
depicts the liberation war against France and was
rewarded with a gold lion in Venice in 1966, was made by
an Italian director but not least in Algeria is
considered a classic. In France, it was previously
banned.
2019
December
Tebboune appoints new government
December 28
Newly elected President Tebboune appoints Abdelaziz
Djerad as prime minister and asks him to form
government. The 65-year-old political scientist strikes
a conciliatory tone and promises to work to gain
people's trust. Djerad has been preceded by two acting
prime ministers during the ongoing crisis of confidence
between the people and the elite: Noureddine Bedoui, who
resigned when Tebboune was installed at the presidential
post, and Sabri Boukadoum, who maintained the post for a
few days.
Powerful army chief dead
December 23
Algeria's 79-year-old Army Chief Ahmed Gaïd Salah,
who has since emerged President Bouteflika's departure
as the country's most powerful man, has died. Algerian
media reports that the cause of death is heart disease.
For the time being, his position is taken over by
General Saïd Changriha.
New president installed
December 19
The newly elected President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is
holding office. Hirak, the protest movement that called
for a boycott of the election, has continued to
demonstrate peacefully against the election result. The
incumbent President Abdelkader Bensalah, who has left
office after the installation ceremony, promises that
Tebboune will devote much of his attention to the
popular wishes expressed during the demonstrations.
Low presidential elections
December 12
Abdelmadjid Tebboune is elected president, according
to the official election result with just over 58
percent of the votes cast. Demonstrations and boycott
calls for presidential elections, as all five candidates
released have backgrounds in the old, suspicious
political elite. Voting does not even reach as much as
40 percent, the lowest so far in an Algerian
presidential election. Especially the foreign votes are
few. Tebboune, who was prime minister for a few months
during Abdelaziz Bouteflika's presidency, has previously
also been housing minister.
Strict punishment for corruption
December 10
Two former prime ministers who served during
Abdelaziz Bouteflika's time as president are sentenced
to long sentences in a tight corruption case related to
the automotive industry: Ahmed Ouyahia sentenced to 15
years and Abdelmalek Sellal to 12 years in prison. The
penalty is set by the higher court in March 2020. A
total of 19 people, including both top politicians and
business leaders, have been charged with, among other
things, money laundering and abuse of power (see also
June 12, June 17 and June 20).
It is the first time since Algeria gained independence
that former prime ministers have been tried in court. A
former business minister, Abdeslam Bouchouareb, who is
believed to have gone into exile, is sentenced to 20
years in prison.
November
Opening for increased foreign ownership
November 14
Parliament's House of Representatives voted in favor
of the 2020 state budget and a new law that will allow
increased foreign ownership in oil and gas companies,
among other things. The purpose is to attract
investment. However, majority ownership should remain in
Algerian hands in sectors of strategic importance. The
government will in future be able to raise loans abroad.
On November 28, both the Budget and the Energy Act are
passed in the House of Parliament, but the laws also
require the President's signature; In anticipation of
the December 12 presidential election, it is unclear
when they can take effect. The Algerian protest
movement, which has been demonstrating against the
country's political elite throughout the year, dislikes
major decisions being made before a new and more
trustworthy state leadership is in place.
Imprisoned for the Barbican flag
November 12
A Algerian court sentenced 28 people to imprisonment,
since they carried Barbican flags at protest meetings
against the regime. They are convicted of "undermining
the state". 20 protesters will get their verdicts later.
In some respects, the Berber minority has been granted
stronger rights in recent years, but still sees itself
as discriminated against. In June, the country's
powerful army chief banned all flags other than the
Algerian national flag at the mass rallies held by the
protest movement every Friday since February 22.
Green light for five candidates
November 3
The electoral authority has approved five candidates
for the December 12 presidential election. Among them
are the two former prime ministers Ali Benflis and
Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who are considered favorites. The
others are RND party leader Azzedine Mihoubi, Abdelkader
Bengrina who has represented the moderate Islamist party
MSP and held the ministerial post for tourism and
Abdelaziz Belaïd, who is the leader of the Future Front
party but has background in the old state-carrying party
FLN. The Constitutional Council must also state its
views before the list of approved presidential
candidates is completed. The protests against the
election continue simultaneously on streets and squares.
The protesters want to see legislative changes, so that
a political elite linked to the former head of state
Boutelika will not be able to use the election to park a
successor at the presidential post.
October
Lawyers in a strike
October 27th
Prosecutors and judges initiate a strike in support
of the judiciary's independence. Dismissals in the
system recently implemented by the Justice Department
affect 3,000 of the approximately 6,000 people working
in the professions. Judges have a key function in
election procedures in Algeria. Presidential elections
are to be held soon and the lawyers' union organization
believes that the government has made changes to reduce
the independence of the courts. The strike lasts for two
weeks. It ceases when the lawyers have been promised to
be able to appeal redeployments.
RND leaders want to become president
October 23
The first candidate registers for the December 12
presidential election. First out is Azzedine Mihoubi,
leader of the RND, a party that was part of the
government during Abdelaziz Bouteflika's time as
president. Mihoubi, who was minister of culture for
three governments between 2015 and 2019, became party
leader in July when the representative was arrested in
the framework of a corruption investigation. When the
time for presidential candidates to sign up expires at
midnight on October 26, 23 willing have signed up,
including two former prime ministers: Ali Benflis and
Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
September
Prison for the president's brother
September 25
Said Bouteflika is sentenced to 15 years in prison.
He is the brother of the former president and was long
regarded, during Abdelaziz Bouteflika's illness, as the
real ruler of Algeria. The verdict is announced by a
military court in Blida, which tried on Said Bouteflika,
along with three other suspects (two security chiefs and
one party leader), planning to introduce a state of
emergency and dismiss Army chief Ahmed Gaïd Salah in
March, when the wave of protests against the regime
began to grow. All four are convicted of conspiring
against the state and undermining the position of the
armed forces (see May 4, 2019). The
sentence will be 15 years in prison for all. The judges
are appealed but confirmed for three of them on February
10, 2020, also that of a military court. (The fourth,
leftist Louisa Hanoune, gets his sentence shortened and
released.)
Party leaders in FLN are imprisoned
September 19
Mohamed Djemai, who was elected chairman of the old
power party FLN after Abdelaziz Bouteflika's departure
from the presidential post in April, is arrested.
Leaders for several other parties are reported to have
been arrested in recent weeks.
Several protest leaders arrested
September 19
One of the leaders of the recurring demonstrations,
Fodil Boumala, who has a background in state television,
is arrested at his home east of Algiers. The following
day, he was arrested on charges of "undermining national
unity". He is the third leader of the protest in just a
week to be imprisoned on these grounds. Karim Tabbou has
been arrested a week earlier and Samir Benlarbi the day
before Boumala. In recent weeks, police have also
arrested protesters in connection with the protests that
took place on Fridays. Formally, demonstrations have
been banned since 2001, but this year's protest wave has
until now been largely tolerated.
The tone is sharpened against protesters
September 18
After six months of mass protests, the military
leadership seems to be taking a more determined stance
on the protesters. Police have been ordered to stop
protesters from elsewhere approaching the capital
Algiers, says Army Chief Ahmed Gaïd Salah. Vehicles will
be confiscated and the owners can expect to be fined.
Presidential election in December
September 15th
The next presidential election will be held on
December 12, interim President Bensalah announces in a
televised speech. A few days earlier, Parliament has
passed legislative changes that underpin the election,
despite opposition from opposition parties. That the
election must be held before the end of the year is a
requirement driven by the mighty army chief Ahmed Gaïd
Salah. Political activists who, through mass protests,
have driven away a number of the old regime's
representatives, especially former President Bouteflika,
would rather want important state institutions reformed
before a new leadership is elected.
August
Crowd tragedy at concert
22 August
Five young people lose their lives in the hustle and
bustle of people gathered in Algiers to listen to rapper
Soolking. There will be criticism of the security
arrangements at the concert, which has been arranged by
Onda, a government institution that monitors the rights
of cultural practitioners. The following day, Onda's
boss gets fired by the Prime Minister. Two days later,
the Minister of Culture leaves and the National Police
Chief is forced to leave his post.
Bouteflika's Minister of Justice arrested
22 August
Former Justice Minister Tayeb Louh is being arrested
on suspicion of abuse of power. Louh was one of
President Bouteflika's confidants and was a member of
the government that resigned in March.
July
The Minister of Justice is replaced
31 July
Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah gives Justice
Minister Slimane Brahmi the kick. He is replaced by
Belkacem Zeghmati, who previously served as prosecutor.
The reason is not announced, but the exchange is
believed to be linked to the corruption investigations
initiated as a result of popular protests. The wave of
demonstrations also led to the resignation of former
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April. So far, two
former prime ministers, six other former ministers, a
former police chief and several businessmen have been
arrested so far.
The opposition occupies the post of President
July 10
Parliament votes to give the President's office a
representative of the opposition. The new President
Slimane Chenine from the small Islamist party is named
the Movement for National Construction (see Political
system). Chenine replaces Mouad Bouchareb from the FLN
government party, who resigned on July 2 following
popular protests. FLN states that through the election
of Chenine, the party "let higher interests go before
the party's interests".
Senator ur Bouteflyas circuit grips
July 7
Djamel Ould Abbes, Deputy Speaker of the Senate, is
arrested. He has been one of former President
Bouteflika's confidants and is accused of exploiting his
proximity to the president for personal gain.
Promise from leaders who have a short time
July 3
Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah gives a speech
in which he promises a dialogue with full transparency
about the country's future, between credible people and
without government involvement - even without military
participation. He appeals to all parties to "let go of
unrealistic expectations" so as not to prolong the state
of constitutional vacuum that prevails. Bensalah can
find it difficult to fulfill the promise: his own term
expires on July 9.
The Speaker of the lower house resigns
July 2
The Speaker of Parliament's House of Commons gives in
to demands from the large popular demonstrations: he
resigns. Mouad Bouchareb, who was previously a group
leader in the FLN government, was elected President in
October 2018. The protesters, who want to remove the
entire political elite, demand that interim agencies be
formed as steps on the path to real democratization.
June
Famous war hero seized
June 29
Lakhdar Bouregaâ, 86, and a well-known hero from the
liberation war against the French colonial power, is
arrested. The Algerian press describes the reactions -
also within the Algerian elite - as a wave of
indignation. The public hero, who in the 1960s was one
of the founders of the Socialist Party FFS, has openly
criticized the army chief Ahmed Gaïd Salah. Bouregaâ is
accused, among other things, of undermining the morale
of the army, which could lead to ten years in prison.
Religion on retreat in North Africa
June 24th
An increasing number of Arabs describe themselves as
non-religious, according to an interview survey
conducted for BBC 2018–2019 by the Arab Barometer
research network, which is based at Princeton
University. More than 25,000 interviewees in ten
countries and in the Palestinian territories were asked.
On average, the proportion of non-religious has
increased from 8 to 13 percent. The proportion was
highest in Tunisia (one third of the interviewees),
while more than one in six Algerians gave the answer
non-religious. Compared to 2013, it is especially in
North Africa - in all the countries of the Mediterranean
- that religious beliefs have weakened.
Raids in the car industry
June 20
Hassen Arbaoui, head of a company that assembles cars
for Korean manufacturers, is one of six people in a
leading position who is arrested in the case of
corruption suspects. Four other officials in the
Ministry of Industry and one bank manager are the
others. But since then, at least two car directors have
been with the police, including those arrested in
investigations of the exchange between business and the
political elite, which deals with, among other things,
money laundering and abuse of power. When the car
directors receive their judgments in December,
multi-year imprisonment is imposed, in Arbaoui's case
six years.
Prison for business leaders
17th of June
Company manager Ali Haddad is sentenced to six
months' imprisonment for having had double passports.
Haddad was one of former President Bouteflika's
confidants and the verdict against him is said to be the
first to arise in corruption investigations that have
been going on since Bouteflika was forced out of power.
Haddad owns, among other things, Algeria's largest
construction company (see April 1-2)
and has chaired the largest employer organization. In
December, when both politicians and business associates
were brought to trial, Haddad was sentenced to seven
years in prison.
Veteran politician in custody
June 12
Former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia is arrested. The
details are not disclosed, but Ouyahia has for some time
been the subject of investigation into corruption
suspicions. According to Algerian press, there is a link
to the business conglomerate owned by Ali Haddad (see
April 1). The investigation includes a
number of state representatives, including a former
minister of transport and public works. The day after,
another former prime minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, who
was campaign manager in Abdelaziz Bouteflika's
presidential election campaign, is also arrested.
Scheduled presidential elections are canceled
June 2
The plans to hold presidential elections on July 4
are set. The Constitutional Council says that no
election can take place: only two candidates have
registered and none of them are expected to be able to
collect the 60,000 signatures required. In many places,
the mayor and administration refuse to conduct the
election. No new election date has been set. The major
Friday protests against the country's political elite
continue, and the interim president calls on civil
society and the political elite to dialogue.
May
Activist dies in hunger strike
May 28
Doctor Kamel Eddine Fekhar dies after hunger strike
since he was arrested in March. As a political activist,
he has worked for the Mozabberians (Aït M'zabit), who
have been in conflict with Arab neighbors, among other
things about pasture lands in the neighborhoods about 50
km south of Algiers. The Ministry of Justice promises
that the circumstances will be investigated.
Algeria free from malaria
May 22
Algeria is declared free of malaria by the World
Health Organization (WHO). The requirement for exemption
is that no case of domestic infection spread has been
reported in the last three years. The latest known case
of the mosquito-borne infectious disease occurred in
2013. In the 1960s, the number of annual cases in
Algeria was estimated to be about 80,000.
Bouteflya's powerful brother seized
May 4th
Said Bouteflika, brother of the recently ousted
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and two senior
intelligence service chiefs are arrested. They are
accused of conspiring against the state, which could
result in multi-year prison sentences. Said Bouteflika
has been regarded as the country's most powerful man
since his brother was hit by stroke in 2013. State TV
cancels its programs to show how the arrested are
brought into a military court where they are being held
- a view that would have appeared unthinkable just a few
weeks earlier. Army chief Ahmed Gaïd Salah, who has had
a leading role in recent events, has made public
statements against one of the three, a spy chief known
as Toufik, prior to his arrest.
April
Islamist leader dies in exile
April 24
Abbasi Madani, who was one of the founders of the
Islamic Rescue Front (FIS), dies in exile in Qatar. He
called for armed struggle in 1992, when the military
stopped the parliamentary elections where the FIS was
about to become the largest party. FIS was banned and a
decade of civil war ensued. Madani was released in 2003
and went into exile, from where he continued to send
political messages. Among other things, he called for
election boycott in 2012.
Big corporate executives are accused of corruption
April 22
The country's most wealthy man Issad Rebrab is
arrested on charges of corruption. Rebrab leads Cevital,
Algeria's largest privately owned business group, with
12,000 employees and interests in several industries,
including France. To judge that he also leads the wealth
league stands the magazine Forbes, which also classifies
him as one of the richest in Africa. Also four brothers
who belong to the influential Kouninef family and have
had close contacts with President Bouteflika, but are
usually perceived as competitors to Rebrab, have been
arrested. At the same time, former ministers have been
asked about suspected mismanagement with state funds.
Yet another of the regime's men resigns
April 16
Constitutional Council Chairman Tayeb Belaiz resigns.
Thus, the protest movement has succeeded in driving away
yet another holder of power - the Constitutional Council
has a key role in connection with elections. After
President Bouteflika's departure, Belaiz was one of the
"three Bs" the protesters directed their anger at. Two
remain: Acting Prime Minister Bedoui and Interim
President Bensalah.
Judges form an independent organization
April 13
Just over a hundred judges are demonstrating outside
the Justice Department against plans to hold
presidential elections in July. They argue that
elections cannot be free and fair with the laws and
institutions that existed under the rule of Bouteflika.
The protesters belong to a newly formed law firm, not
the judging organization associated with the regime. The
judge has an important role in Algeria by being
responsible for establishing the length of the vote.
Presidential elections in July
April 10
On July 4, a new presidential election will be held,
interim president Bensalah announces. Street protests
have not ceased after President Bouteflika's departure.
Many of the protesters have no confidence in Bensalah
because he is seen as a representative of the
long-standing and military-dominated regime.
The President takes over the elections
April 9
Confirms that Abdelkader Bensalah, Speaker of the
upper house, is temporarily taking over the post of Head
of State; He will run as interim president until a new
president is elected, which must happen within 90 days.
The President resigns
2 April
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika submits his
resignation application to the Constitutional Council.
He resigns from the post of head of state with immediate
effect. The message triggers celebration on the streets
of Algiers.
Private air traffic is prohibited
April 1st
Take-off and landing bans prevail during the whole of
April for Algerian-owned private aircraft, including
those registered abroad. The announcement was made
shortly after a business stopper, Ali Haddad, was
arrested on his way to Tunisia. Haddad, who belongs to
President Bouteflika's loyal circle, owns, among other
things, a construction group, two TV channels and a
football club. He has been chairman of the country's
largest employer organization since 2014, but has just
left the post since his support for the president has
led to growing criticism.
March
Protests despite reformed government
March 31st
The government is being reformed under the newly
appointed Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, but the
message is followed by continued demonstrations. Several
of the new ministers have backgrounds as executive
officers, such as the finance minister, who has been
governor of the central bank. It is noted that the Army
commander, who has openly advocated that President
Bouteflika should be dismissed, continues as Deputy
Minister of Defense.
Bouteflika should be deposited, according to the
army chief
March 26
Army Chief Ahmed Gaïd Salah demands that Bouteflika
be declared incapable of holding office as President. In
a TV appearance, the army chief, who is also deputy
defense minister and known as loyal to Bouteflika,
emphasizes that this can be done with the support of the
country's constitution. In that case, the Speaker of
Parliament's Abdelkader Bensalah (Abd al-Qadir bin
Salah) would step in as Acting President until a new
President was elected.
Opposition proposes "road map"
March 23rd
Several parties and unions are gathering behind a
proposed transitional solution intended to be for six
months. According to the proposal, the country will be
governed by a presidential council consisting of several
people who will not be running for the next presidential
election. The day before opposition leaders agree on the
proposal, another Friday, the fifth in a row, was marked
by mass protests against Bouteflika's regime.
Slow in Western Sahara talks
March 22
A new round of conversation about Western Sahara
concludes with the finding that the parties are far
apart. Foreign ministers from Morocco, Algeria and
Mauritania and the Saharan Liberation Movement
Polisario's negotiating head have only agreed after the
two-day meeting that the UN-led talks - which resumed in
December after six years fully on ice - should continue
"before the summer". The Polisario continues to demand
that the Western Sahara be given a referendum. Morocco
says no.
Signs of the President being isolated
March 20
Split is reported within organizations that have over
the years supported the state-sponsored party FLN and
President Bouteflika's regime. Both the trade union
organization UGTA and a business forum have been
decimated by layoffs linked to the fact that the
movements initially supported the president's plans for
a fifth term. At the same time, FLN representatives make
statements that the party has an understanding of the
wave of protest. Political scientist Mohamed Hennad,
formerly affiliated with Algers University, tells AFP
news agency that the cracks indicate that "the system is
collapsing".
Impatient opposition demands answers
the 12th of March
Ali Benflis, Prime Minister 2000–2003, has joined the
opposition. In an online video, he accuses President
Bouteflika of "extending his fourth term" and "violating
the Constitution." No new date for the next presidential
election has been announced since the April elections
were abandoned. The message from the presidential office
is that a national conference will make the decision. On
the streets, the demonstrations have continued, with new
calls to the regime: “No extra time. This is not a
football game. "
Presidential election postponed - Bouteflika
withdraws
11th of March
President Bouteflika announces that the presidential
election that would have taken place on April 18 has
been postponed and that he himself will not run for
office. At the same time, he is drawing up guidelines
for the future: the government must be reformed and a
new constitution drawn up. For the demonstrative
opposition, the message is an unclear victory, as the
president is leaving, at least eventually, but the
regime remains. Regime critics have called for a
transitional government, which also includes opposition
representatives. But a deferred election can benefit
both camps. The regime is given time to bring a
successor to Bouteflika, and the opposition - which is
divided - has the opportunity to gather behind a
counter-candidate.
The President is met by a strike
March 10
President Bouteflika returns home after two weeks of
care in Switzerland. He does not make any immediate
statements. The street protests against Bouteflika's
plans to be elected if resumes and strikes have begun at
the universities. The Ministry of Education has
responded to the strikes with earlier permission.
Rival arrested at President's Hospital
March 8th
Businessman Rachid Nekkaz is arrested at the
university hospital in Switzerland where President
Bouteflika is admitted. Nekkaz tried to stand in
Algeria's 2014 presidential election, claiming that
62,000 signatures submitted in support of his candidacy
disappeared from the Constitutional Court. In
Switzerland, he now states that he tried to clarify the
president's health.
Lawyers demand a stop for Bouteflika
March 7
One thousand lawyers march against the Constitutional
Council, which must approve or reject the candidates who
want to stand in the presidential election. The lawyers,
who believe that Bouteflika cannot be allowed to stand
for a fifth term, hope to influence the Council's
decision, which will be taken by March 14. The
82-year-old president, who is in Switzerland for health
reasons, warns of "chaos" in a statement via the state
news agency APS.
Army commander watches for "stability"
March 5th
Army Chief Ahmed Gaïd Salah, who is also Deputy
Secretary of Defense, in a speech at the Cherchell
Military College, urges citizens to act so that
stability is not jeopardized. The army will "guarantee
security and stability," he says, referring to the
violence and terrorism of 1992-2002. On the same day,
thousands of students in large cities demonstrate. The
police do not intervene, even though demonstrations are
prohibited. From the slogans to judge, the students
expect that the police or military may stop the wave of
protest. Both students and university teachers hold
meetings where they discuss strike plans. From the
European Commission and the United States, calls are
made to respect the freedom of speech of Algerians.
Short sentence for bloggers
4th of March
The blogger Merzoug Touati is to be released, a court
has decided. In May, Touati was sentenced to ten years
in prison following a video interview over the Internet
with an Israeli. It was judged that he had cooperated
with foreign power - Algeria does not have diplomatic
relations with Israel. In January, the sentence was
reduced to seven years, but then the entire trial has
been redone. Now the sentence has been mitigated to two
years, and since Touati has already been detained for
two years, he is considered to have served the sentence
(see May 24, 2018).
Street protests are pushing the president
March 1st
Around 50 police officers and a number of activists
are injured, while about 50 are arrested in Algerian
protests, when Arab Spring 2011 slogans are repeated:
"The people want the regime to fall" On March 3, after
just over a week of nationwide daily demonstrations that
largely are directed at President Bouteflika's plans to
be re-elected, a promise from the president comes: He
does not intend to fulfill the fifth term, but convenes
a "national conference" aimed at re-election. The
message is submitted the same day his candidacy for the
April 18 election is registered. Bouteflika is located
in Switzerland, officially for medical examinations.
February
Protests against the president's plans
February 22
Demands have been banned in Alger since 2001, but
protesters are now demanding that President Bouteflika
be barred from a fifth term. The protest is met by riot
police with tear gas. More than 40 protesters are
arrested as they try to reach the presidential palace.
Protests are announced after Friday prayers in other
cities as well. Two days later, a new protest is held in
Algiers, announced by the organization Muwatana
(Citizenship). Mass media complain that they are not
allowed to report the opposition to the president.
Bouteflika confirms candidacy
February 10
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announces via state
media that he is running for re-election on April 18. If
the battered 81-year-old wins the presidential election,
which he is expected to do, it will be his fifth term in
office. The four parties in the government coalition,
including FLN and RND, have stated before the
announcement that they support Bouteflika. Several
parties want to boycott the election.
January
Young protesters openly
January 29th
In an open letter with name signatures, published in
the journal Le Quotidien d'Algérie, 25 well-educated
senders express their criticism of the Algerian social
system that has stagnated. They warn of continued
resentment , flight across the Mediterranean, and
what is called hogra , the elite's contempt for
the people, which includes both condescending treatment
and brutality against protesters. Similar calls for
change have also begun to emerge in social media.
Islamist candidate in the presidential election
January 26
Abderrazak Makri becomes candidate for MSP in the
presidential election in April. MSP is the country's
largest Islamist party and has roots in the Sunni
movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, which is represented
in several countries. Until 2012, MSP supported
President Bouteflika's government alliance.
Exgeneral first presidential candidate
January 18
The next presidential election will be held on April
18, according to the decree of President Bouteflika.
81-year-old Bouteflika, who has been in poor health
since a stroke in 2013, has not yet announced whether he
wants to be re-elected for a fifth term. But one
candidate quickly signs up: Ali Ghediri, 64, and retired
general, who has recently made a number of public
appearances. By March 4, anyone wishing to stand for
election must register with the Constitutional Court.
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