Low turnout feared in Algerian presidential elections
2009-02-02
As Algeria comes closer to electing its next president, political parties are using a possible third term for President Bouteflika to influence voter turnout.
By Said Jameh for Magharebia in Algiers – 02/02/09
 [Said Jameh] Many expect President Abdelaziz Bouteflika (pictured) to win his as-yet undeclared re-election bid in April. |
With two months remaining before Algeria's presidential elections, political parties supporting and opposing the elections are preoccupied with the possibility of a massive boycott at the polls. Opponents of the constitutional amendments that will allow current president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run for a third term hope to persuade citizens to abstain from voting, while the president's supporters are attempting to mobilise millions of voters.
The issue of a popular boycott was first raised after the constitution was amended on November 12th, 2008. Article 74 was modified to remove the previous two-term limit on the post of president. Several members of the opposition refused at that time to take part in the April 2009 presidential race.
The opposition leaders advocating a boycott claim the results of the presidential election have already been determined in favour of President Bouteflika, before being held. It was this suspicion that prompted Said Saadi of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) to refuse to run for office, and to push members of his party not to cast their ballots.
The Socialist Forces Front (FFS), led by self-exiled leader Houcine Ait Ahmed, took a similar line.
Also advocating a boycott is the Islamist Ennahda Movement, which said the general political atmosphere does not warrant the party's participation.
Bouteflika has yet to announce his intention to stand for re-election. The list of candidates so far includes Moussa Touati of the Algerian National Front and Louisa Hanoune, Secretary-General of the Workers' Party.
Algerian political experts are not optimistic about voter turnout. Former Prime Minister Ahmed Ben Bitour expects less than 10% mobilisation, based on lacklustre numbers in the 2007 legislative elections. Algerians are discouraged, he said, by the gap between rulers and the people. Everyday citizens are preoccupied with their own problems and do not believe the elections have a purpose.
Undeterred, the candidates are working hard to appeal to voters. Moussa Touati said he would knock on the doors of each Algerian, to convince them of the need to vote. A boycott "doesn't contribute to the enhancement of democracy and the principle of transfer of power," he continued.
"Abstention from voting in the election means resigning from the state," he said. "We believe that no Algerian can resign and quit his or her homeland."
Parties belonging to the presidential coalition have already launched a campaign to inform voters about the importance of the elections.
The presidential coalition consists of the National Liberation Front (FLN), led by honorary head President Bouteflika, the National Democratic Assembly (RND), led by Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, and the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), led by Minister of State Bouguerra Soltani.
Chihab Sedik of the RND said the presidential coalition is not afraid of a boycott because its candidate, President Bouteflika, enjoys tremendous popularity.
The Interior Ministry began an awareness campaign to target citizens in January. Some 16,000 assistants are tasked with visiting 1.5 million families to convince them to register in time for the April polls.
Interior ministry representative Mohamed Talbi said the campaign has successfully registered 96,000 voters.
The Algerian public is divided on the question of a boycott. University professor Samira Hammiche told Magharebia that she refuses to vote, because recent elections haven't made any positive changes in her life.
Soufiane Bentaib shares the fear that a Bouteflika victory is predetermined, and said this belief will drive down participation.
However, Yazid Azoug – who only reached voting age last year – is looking forward to April because he will be able to contribute to Algeria's democratic process. "Elections are a national duty, and they reflect how keen the citizen is on his or her patriotism," he said. "Therefore, I will be one of the first people to vote."
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khalid Posted 2009-02-02
I am Algerian. I and my entire family are going to vote for our dear president, Bouteflika. It is thanks to him that Algeria has become a power. In 1999, Algeria was in ruins. All of Algeria’s young people are with Bouteflika. Long live the Maghreb!
عثمان ابو محمد Posted 2009-02-03
Concerning coming elections in April, I will boycott them because there is nothing worth voting for.
Fathi Posted 2009-02-03
Whether participation is weak or strong, we should not expect a surprise: the appointment of the president will be unconstitutional. Who can say any different? All bets are on!
Abdelmoumen Zeid (HAMMBHOURG)ALLEMAGNE. Posted 2009-02-04
Abdelaziz Bouteflika is a world-class Arab president. Long live Bouteflika’s and Belkhadem’s Algeria! All the rest are thieves!
dekli faycal Posted 2009-02-04
Why does Mr Ouyahia continue to stick to a rhetoric of openness and give politically charged, politicking, dogmatic and populist instructions in order to put the breaks on foreign direct investments (FDI)? Our country is suffering from a dramatic lack of productive investment. Beyond hydrocarbons and beyond Orascom, he is permitting himself to limit FDIs under the pretence of exceeding local financial resources. The truth is that Mr Ouyahia promised his president that he will be re-elected by an overwhelming majority and is guaranteeing him record turnout. In order to ensure this turnout, he must prove he is a populist and please the ordinary people, who are frightened by the arrival of investors searching – it is true – for profit. But, the latter knows that in order to manage this they have to work. However, the ordinary people, who form a legion, prefer profit without work. A quarter century with a centralised, subsidised economy has not taught them the true value of work, the only producer of wealth. A society that does not cultivate a value for work and a work etiquette will spit on any activity that aims to create work-based prosperity. Mr Ouyahia, with his promise to your president, is acting against the will of those who died for this country. You are condemning the people to live in a system that offers them nothing new because it is incapable of doing so. Worse yet, it is retrograde. It indeed seems that the lesson given by the last elections has been learned in reverse. So that you may be aware of this, look around yourselves: this is the age of presidents of countries who seek the well-being of their people. Is Algeria, in this light, the right man? An entire generation has lived having the same people in front of them, over and over, on and on.
khelifa Posted 2009-02-05
Not voting is in itself a form of cowardice. We must express ourselves with a “yay” or “nay”. But, we must also do this when we learn of fraud. If there is fraud, then history will condemn the fraudulent. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
محمد Posted 2009-02-05
We were eager to see a rotation of power in Arab states, see a president losing the elections, who becomes an ordinary citizen walking on foot in the streets and who accept the matter with a patriotic spirit. We wished to see the rule of law over everyone in the state in which the old methods of rule such as favouritism, nepotism and tribal fanaticism disappear. We were happy with the experience of Algeria in 92. We thought that the light of a new dawn has appeared in the Arab Word to erase the darkness of the gloomy oppression. However, the experience was killed in the cradle by internal and external hands which saw their interest in the persistence of oppression and denial of the will of the people in decision-making so that the Arab nation remains outside history turning in a vicious circle and condemned to dependency to others at all levels.
عاش الملك Posted 2009-02-05
It is known that he will stay in power like his brothers who refuse to remove from the chair. So why disturb people and embarrass them with this masquerade? Why all these losses for the ballot boxes and other things which are on no use? Why make people stop work? All this is a waste. All these costs which only aim to delude people can be saved and used to help poor people. Long live the king.
Algérois72 Posted 2009-02-05
No one is going to vote for a despot like Bouteflika. My entire family and I as well as my whole neighbourhood are boycotting this sham of an election. Millions of Algerians are going to do the same if he presents himself for his own succession, and that is a safe bet. He has ruined this country with his cronyism. Algeria will not be recovering anytime soon.
yacine Posted 2009-02-06
President Bouteflika did his best to fix Algeria and now there is only one thing let for him to do: leave Algeria in good hands. And, for the time being, a person who could replace him cannot be found. Some Algerians are counting on Mr Ouyahia, but in my opinion Mr Ouyahia is good for the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Smail Mimoune Genova ITA Posted 2009-02-09
Long live Abdelaziz Bouteflika! Long live Abelaziz Belkhadem! Long live the Algeria of men! All the people are with you, Mr Bouteflika! All the people are with you Mr Abdelaziz Belkhadem! You saved Algeria from the crises of terrorism, thieving, mafias, generals and so on!
hamida Posted 2009-02-11
Boycotters- Do you think that a boycott is a good solution? Or, is this a not very noble way to slip away when faced by a miniscule government that is not up to par?
Ismail Posted 2009-02-12
Algeria needs a young enthusiastic competent and open-minded leader whose mentality isn't smeared by deluded rusted midnset of post-independence era and negative nationalism, a mentality as far as possible from those of the generals that had a strong hold on algerian politics for the last 4 decades.
aziz Posted 2009-02-13
I am Algerian from the south, always poor. As Moroccans, you can’t understand me. Northerners from Annaba to Ain Tamouchnte and Batna understand me. I won’t vote and I won’t vote in future just because the elections in my country were predestined by concerned actors. There is no value for the voices of people who are already excluded. Thank you for offering us this opportunity.
تقي الله حسان Posted 2009-03-02
Only God Almighty is perfect. Every person has a weakness. If we want the good of the country, we must reform ourselves first, reform people around us, eliminate all corruption and corruption of those who rule this country and I see personally that rule is in covetous hands. Finally I say if we don’t reform our houses from vice, a generation will come and do it because our country is full of good. May Algeria live always free.
بدر الدسن Posted 2009-03-18
What do you think about the tribal regime and citizenship? Don't you see a contradiction? What do you think about activating tribalism for politics?
اسماعيل غ Posted 2009-03-24
We will prove to the whole world in the coming elections that Algeria today is Algeria of loyalty to martyrs. We will teach the world another lesson in democracy. As to the callers of boycott, we know their real size. Their attitudes today are just the reactions of their big failure and rejection by the Algerian people of their projects. We will slap them on that day. We will keep on holding to continuing development projects which are spread in all the nation. This will be a recognition of the achievements of His Excellency president Abdelaziz Bouteflika for the country…
gigi Posted 2009-03-25
I will never vote again because the elections in Algeria are marred by fraud. And, you can rest assured that the FLN will never give up power. Do not forget that it is the one that has led the country since 1962.
عبد الكريم ز Posted 2009-04-08
Though voting has its pitfalls in Algeria, citizens must vote to cut the road to falsifiers. Don't we need more stability and more security? Bouteflika is not the best choice but he is the possible and available choice to preserve present achievements.
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