Whereas major news media outlets around the world were covering the Algerian elections, the press in the Maghreb was eerily quite on its analysis and coverage of this major political event in the history of modern Algeria. In fact rigged elections are common occurrences in the countries of the Maghreb. Unfortunately, North Africa has seen its share of leaders being reelected with 99% favorable electorate, referendums that pass with 100% approval, and political parties that were created weeks before a given elections just to win a majority of the vote. What set the Presidential elections in Algeria apart is the apparent disconnect between the governing elite in Algeria and its population, and the complete disregard by Bouteflika Of the wishes and needs of the people of Algeria. With 74 percent of vote turn out and an “amazing” 90 percent of the votes going to the candidate Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria is officially a banana republic. According to the Algerian interior minister the 2009 election marked “incontestable progress for freedom of expression and the act of voting.” These types of statements from Algerian officials represent an unprecedented level of denial. President Bouteflika ran a “sham” campaign where the only viable opposition candidate was a lone “Trotskyite” woman that never had chance to challenge a well established incumbent. As the “whole world” knew well ahead of the election: Since President Bouteflika has been a well behaved servant of the Military and the Algerian special services, he was to be awarded, by the powers to be, a third term in office
Algeria awash in Petro-Dollars is poorer than ever. The Algerian youths are hurt the most with no job prospects, lack of housing, and a dim hope to make a desecent life in their own country. Many proud Algerians are, for the first time, admitting to despair and are making the lethal journey to Europe by illegally crossing the Mediterranean to reach European shores. Mordantly, the needs, struggles, and concerns of the Algerian people were never discussed or debated during the so-called campaign. Bouteflika’s campaign rallies looked more like a dark comedy than a political gathering. To believe in the legitimacy of their campaign, the Bouteflika clan must either live in a bubble or think of their countrymen as brainless.
The inflated numbers of the elections turnout and the “Yes Vote”, it was a referendum after all, are an insult to the intelligence of all Maghrebans. Evident from results of past elections in other parts of the Maghreb, Rabat and Tunis are in no position to pass judgment on the Algerian regime. No wonder the Tunisian and Moroccan news media was deafeningly silent in their political commentary of the Bouteflika campaign and elections. As the saying goes: If your house is made of glass, do not go around throwing stones!
Sadly, the Algerian people are on their own to fight for their freedom, democracy, and the return to the ideals of the Algerian revolution. As major political powers showered Bouteflika with congratulatory messages, civil and human rights activists in the region were left questioning the European and American commitments to a democratic change in North Africa. Selfishly, Spain does not care who is in charge in Algiers as long as cheap Algerian gas keeps flowing to Madrid. France suffering from the “Pinochet Syndrome” is satisfied with the re-election of Bouteflika since it would keep the status quo in the Algerian-French alive sparing Paris a potential nightmarish immigration and violence situations if Algeria is ever destabilized. While concerned with the conduct of the election process, Washington is pleased to have the same security apparatus still in place insuring the continued American-Algerian cooperation on security matters. Lost in these political realities are the livelihood of the Algerian youth and the future of democracy in North Africa.
As much as Algerians and Moroccans love to compare themselves to each other, when it comes to free and fair elections they avoid the comparison. In fact, you do not need to go North to encounter success stories. Liberia a failed state that suffered years of bloody war, famine and chaos was able to transition to democracy through peaceful elections. Today, Liberia under the leadership of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is an example of how a developing country can have democracy and law and order despite years of cruel conflicts. Ghana and Senegal are other examples for African countries to follow on the path toward democracy and human rig
Bouteflika is the right candidate of the Army which monoplizes Algerian politics. Unfortunately common algerians have been brainwashed by the myth that it is thanks to Bouteflika that stability has reigned again in algeria, thus putting an end to the blood baths of the 90s. I still can not see how Boutef has accomplished this peace and stability that algerians credit him for. There are still many bombings that take the lives of many innocent algerians.
As for the economy, algerians have benefitted a lot from the increase of the price of oils in the past 2 or 3 years and has accumulated billions of dinars in its revenue, but where did the money go? Oh, they have been developing their Army again and trying to provoque Morocco in its borders. But did the regular algerians benefit from that money? well, as you said, there are still plenty of Algerians preferring to leave Algeria to Boutef and his army and go wash the dishes of their European counterparts.
Boutef is trying so hard to play any significant role in North Africa, Mediterranean region, and the Arab nation but he is failing in all except in his role of nuisance in the peace process of moroccan sahara
i don t think the world give a **** about algeria elections , it is very predictable nothing new , a dictator who changed the election law to cling on to power whats new???
i feel sorry for the algeriens , the generals are eating them alive they are like cancer it spreads everywhere , bouteflika is a type of cancer which is terminal , hopeless to try to find the cure for it , it is a bit late in my opinion he will glue himself to the president chair until he dies
very sad but true, typical dictator he even have the height for it very short ass with big mouth terrorisme and dictatorship are destroying the whole country
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2009 05:57 by marocain-09.
i don t think the world give a **** about algeria elections , it is very predictable nothing new , a dictator who changed the election law to cling on to power whats new??? 
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