Islam, Elections, and Reform in Algeria

The 2019 Algerian Protests: A Belated Spring?

“…7 Furthermore, the decline in oil prices in 1986 dealt a strong blow to the economy, pushing the government to reverse some of its expenditures as an austerity measure. 8 Subsequently, in 1988, the year of bread riots (Black October), Algerians protested both the soaring prices and the FLN's monopoly on power. 9 A key problem leading up to these protests was that, instead of addressing structural weaknesses and pressuring state-run companies to improve productivity, the government increased salaries to deal with inflation.…”

“…68 Second, Algeria is a country where the military has been directly involved in politics from the time of independence and has more than once been overtly involved in quelling protests. Although the regime allowed political parties to form and elections to take place to mitigate the repercussions of its economic reform measures after the 1988 protests, 69 the military killed hundreds of protesters in less than a week to suppress the upheaval, 70 and was also involved in killing civilians during the 1990s civil war.…”

The Political Situation, Trends and Geopolitical Implications of Sub-Saharan and North African Countries: Comparative Study

“…Scholars argued that after the incident of a young vendor set himself on fire the entire region triggered the revolutionary wave, "firstly in Tunisia and then elsewhere in the Arab world. These widespread protests and demands for reforms (the so-called "Arab Spring" movements) have led to varying degrees of political changes" (Brumberg, 1991;Iratni & Tahi, 1991;Zeraoui, 2012).…”

Conditions for new parties’ participation in a founding election in a democratic transition

“…The first relates to the unique nature of the Algerian democratic experience beginning at the end of the 1980s in a then totally authoritarian Arab world (Brumberg, 1991; Le Sueur, 2010; Mortimer, 1991). Indeed, after more than 25 years of one-party rule (1962–1989), new political parties, some created by former political opponents, were permitted within the framework of democratic reforms (including the new constitution of February 1989) adopted following the riots of October 1988.…”