Skip to main content

Algeria’s Failing State

The announcement that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will seek a fourth term offers little optimism for Algeria’s future.
Algeria's President and  head of the Armed Forces Abdelaziz Bouteflika (L) attends a graduation ceremony of the 40th class of the trainees army officers at a Military Academy in Cherchell 90 km west of Algiers June 27, 2012. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina(ALGERIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR348ML

The announcement over the weekend that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will run for a fourth term despite suffering a stroke this year illustrates the bankruptcy of the Algerian political process. The president and the generals who run Algeria, the Arab world’s largest police state, apparently decided to prolong the status quo as long as possible, fearing that any moves toward opening the political process would usher in unpredictable and dangerous demands for democracy. But there are also hints of division at the top of the power elite which may suggest some changes are coming.

Bouteflika, 79, is the longest-serving president in Algerian history. He has run the country since election in 1999. He ended a brutal and bloody civil war that began after an army coup in 1991 that overturned free elections that had been won by an Islamist party. In the violence that followed, at least 160,000 died. In 1994, Algerian terrorists hijacked a jet bound for Paris with the intent of smashing it into the Eiffel Tower, the plot that inspired 9/11. The army reacted with brute force. Bouteflika offered amnesty and initiated reforms to win over an exhausted nation. He was re-elected in 2009 with 90% of the vote in a massive vote fraud.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.