Would you like to make English your default language on this site?

2012-05-22

Algerian Islamists boycott new government

By Fidet Mansour for Magharebia in Algiers – 22/05/12

  • 9

In contrast with Morocco, Tunisia and Libya, Islamists in Algeria refused to join the incoming government. Furthermore, the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), which has four ministers in the current government, decided to withdraw them altogether.

The Islamist party, which until now had been a partner in the governing coalition, on Saturday (May 19th), decided to return to the ranks of the opposition after a resounding 134 to 35 vote by the consultative committee.

During that meeting, MSP chairman Bouguerra Soltani accused the Algerian government of "wanting to exclude Islamists from the political fold". Proof of this, he alleged, lay in the fact that the party had fallen victim to "a raid on its seats" in the legislative election on May 10th.

Related Articles

Abderrezak Mokri, one of the party's leading members, told Tout Sur L'Algérie on Sunday (May 20th) that the party had decided to play a part in previous governments "to serve our country". He explained that Algeria was in danger and the party thought they could move towards some real political reforms.

"This electoral fraud has sent us a clear signal," Mokri said. "There is no reform."

According to Mokri, the MSP promises to play a part in the re-organisation of the opposition.

"We shall try to build alliances with all political parties so that we can reach a common stance in Parliament on the government's draft bills, for example. We will help revive civil society," he said.

For its part, El Islah decided to enter into new talks with other parties to establish a joint opposition front.

In a press conference led by chairman Hamaloui Akouchi on Saturday (May 19th), El Islah said that "the government is afraid of Islamist parties, which are the only force capable of actually bringing about the change which Algerians have wanted for so long."

"By giving the FLN a helping hand, with a ballot tailored to its needs, the state has nipped reform in the bud and dashed the hopes of millions of Algerians," said Akouchi.

Ennahda struck a similar chord. The movement's secretary-general, Fateh Rebai, said on the same day that the result achieved by the FLN was "the fruit of a widespread fraud, the aim of which was to maintain the status quo".

Describing the election as a "travesty" and accusing the administration of having organised the fraud to thwart a possible breakthrough for the Islamists, Rebai questioned the political reforms introduced by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in a speech on April 15, 2011.

"The results which have been announced are proof of the failure of political reforms," Rebai said, predicting that "the next constitution will be made to measure."

Justice and Development Front (FJD) chairman Abdallah Djaballah said on May 13th that the results "closed the door to change through the ballot box". He spoke of an "attack on the will of the people," and went on to conclude: "We refuse to recognise these results" which create "a climate of insecurity".

Finally, the Front for Change (FC), which won just four seats in Parliament, said it could not envisage an alliance with the parties in power under any circumstances.

"The government has thrown away a golden opportunity for Algeria to bring about change through peaceful means," FC leader Abdelmadjid Menasra, said during a May 12th press conference.

Menasra recalled that the Islamist parties together won only 58 seats compared with the FLN's 221 seats.

What do you think of this article?

26 dislikes

Subscribe to our newsletter and get Magharebia's latest articles delivered to your inbox.

POST YOUR COMMENT 9

Anonymous_thumb

You are not signed in. Anonymous comments are subject to moderation. Sign up to have your comment posted immediately - Learn more

Register

Or post your comment using:

* DENOTES REQUIRED FIELD

  1. Anonymous_thumb

    مناضل جنوبي 2012-6-22

    The falsification party front has destroyed the country and people. It is driving to the abyss. Unfortunately, the army is pushed to its dirty game.

    • 0 Likes

  2. Anonymous_thumb

    Hamaili Tahar 2012-5-25

    Of course, the FLN should take no pride in the methods it used. (You will say that they fit like a glove according to its usual habits.) But, you have to recognise that the fiasco of the so-called Islamists, who are rubbish, illiterate, forever negative and manipulated to an excess in all fields, will excuse this operation for a certain period of time. What is more, this time neither the FLN, nor the President of the Republic will say that we do not have the means for our policies.

    • 0 Likes

  3. Anonymous_thumb

    من تحزب خان(القائد الشهيد) 2012-5-24

    Islam is in “two categories”. There is the category of scholars and philosophers and the category of laymen. As for scholars about whom the prophet said “they are the inheritors of prophets”, they are the ones who are most capable of understanding sensitive issues. As for the laymen, their concerns are mundane. Therefore, it is not logical to make them bear something beyond their capacity. Islamic society has to keep up with modernism and modernity. This is a serious problem and a very difficult equation. We aren’t here trying to find sophistry or fake solutions. We are looking for an authentic positioning on the map of the world. A positioning which is not contrary to human brotherhood and world peace. At the same time, it shouldn’t uproot us from our nice conventional and moral roots. This dimension is very important. Arab and Muslim intellectuals and scholars have written intensively about it since what we call Pioneers of the Renaissance followed Napoleon's shock after he invaded Egypt. Today, the labor is repeated. But instead of learning from studies and experiences of contemporaneous intellectuals and the aforementioned, we see that those extremist Takfirists jump a clown jump backward to the era of cloak, obscurant mythical ideology to tighten the control on the Arab Islamic Umma. Their intellectual rule is “when you debate in dialectics, you become heretic”. “All the good lies in following the predecessors. All the evil lies in the innovations of the followers”!!! They are the best preachers of imperialism so that our society remains a consumer of its products and a big commercial market. They are the biggest infiltrators. They are rats!

    • 0 Likes

  4. Anonymous_thumb

    younsi djamel 2012-5-24

    “Algerian Islamists boycott new government” – that is great news! Sheesh! This is awesome! We will not see all these bearded people in the People’s National Assembly! They do not represent anything at all in Algeria! Let the wind and the broom sweep them away! Out! Get out! The Islamists’ shouts are only an emotional and hysterical expression because these parties refuse to accept the sovereign Algerian people’s definitive rejection of them and all their attempts to use politics to manipulate their most precious common good – Islam.

    • 0 Likes

  5. Anonymous_thumb

    musulman pas islamiste 2012-5-23

    They are the ones that the people boycotted. Did they not notice this? Despite their big manoeuvres and their little tricks; despite the dubious money, which is the sinew of war; despite the drumbeating of bureaus, which are no less dubious and which sing praise to them all of the time; despite their “fatwas” from mad sorcerers’ despite the blessings of the bearers of the “true word”, designed for and exclusively used for the people of the underdeveloped world; despite the diplomatic forcing of hand of the Arab spring, the people did not believe in this “political correctness”, which was too political and not at all correct. The Islamists were boycotted and this is just the beginning.

    • 0 Likes

  6. Anonymous_thumb

    moh casbah 2012-5-23

    One nuance: the people are the ones who boycotted the lying and perfidious Islamists! It is over for them.

    • 0 Likes

  7. Anonymous_thumb

    muslim 2012-5-23

    May they stay outside of the government. This does not interest anyone. Their opportunism and their deceit are notorious. Their words are worthless. Enough with their actions and their imposing posture. And the people know them. And the people who offer them their littleness are no better than them; they are even worse. They are on the side of the manipulators and the “springtime-makers” of all seasons. Governing is not in their genes. They are programmed to make a mess and chaose. This is why they are the protégés of the enemies of the peoples!

    • 0 Likes

  8. Anonymous_thumb

    cyrtawaitchu 2012-5-22

    The identity of Islamists is unknown, their personalities volatile and their speech sweet. They say let’s change, and they are the ones who call for their change. These are manipulations under the cover of Islam. They have money, but from where did they get it? They accuse generals even if they are brothers or friends. They say let’s join hands to build, and they call for groupings, then rallies, then looting and destroying the properties of others. They raise slogans opposing the authorities, but they are protected by the immunity of authorities and power of law. We won’t ask you to reform the administration or to leave. You can loot on the condition that you don’t hold others accountable. Don’t think that the people are stupid. You are stupid. Algerians are free. Don’t blame authorities for the results of May 10; don’t boycott the parliament because if you do, you won’t be able to live as you are poor. All that is required of you is to loot and just say viva Algeria, viva the regime which granted you 35 millions as a monthly salary and the rest as a gift from God to you. Viva FLN, FLN forever!

    • 0 Likes

  9. Anonymous_thumb

    Ammar 2012-5-22

    In any case, we do not need to form a government. They were crushingly defeated during the recent electoral joust. The FLN got 221 seats and the RND got 68 seats. They will govern with a large majority.

    • 0 Likes

Special Coverage
Spotlight

Al-Qaeda assails government to lure disgruntled Algerians

[Twitter] Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is taking to Twitter to broadcast the group's radical message.

Keeping Maghreb youth away from extremism

Join the discussion

Poll
Is the Libyan government doing enough to restore order?
VIEW RESULTS
Round up