With the presidential elections just days away, Algeria’s embattled government is scrambling to imbue the Dec. 12 poll with a legitimacy that many in the streets across Algeria unequivocally reject.
In the last few days, prominent journalist Mahrez Rabia was dismissed from the national TV station for what many regard as his public support for Algeria’s protest movement, or hirak, which opposes the forthcoming elections. The pro-government General Union of Algerian Workers marched Nov. 30 in support of the December elections, while a televised debate between the candidates, intended to underscore the vote’s legitimacy, has been criticized for a lack of transparency by one of the organizations that was initially invited to help produce it.
