Election outcomes in Algeria

Ghettas, Lakhdar (2012) Election outcomes in Algeria. International Affairs at LSE (09 May 2012). Website.

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Abstract

On 10th May the Algerian regime is holding parliamentary elections against a backdrop of a string of strikes, protests, riots, and the spectre of a massive boycott and abstention. In trying to reverse the tide of boycotts the regime exposed its profound anxiety, which was decoded by Algerians as a sign of an acute vulnerability. This unprecedented stand-off between the regime and society is a real nightmare for the secret services (DRS), which hopes to portray the participation in the May elections as a vote of confidence which offers the current regime, amongst other things, legitimacy from abroad The regime’s strategy is for the parliamentary elections to be presented as a popular validation of the political reforms, initiated a year ago. Moreover, it would maintain on track the reforms roadmap (holding local election next autumn, passing a new constitution which would in turn govern the spring 2014 presidential elections). For all those considerations, the success of the May elections is crucial for the regime’s continuity agenda. However, the almost certain high levels of abstention scenario threatens to upset the regime’s self-regeneration strategy. Therefore, three likely outcomes can be identified a week before elections.

Item Type:	Online resource (Website)
Official URL:	http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/ideas/
Additional Information:	© 2012 The Author(s)
Divisions:	IGA: LSE IDEAS
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General)
Date Deposited:	20 Jun 2017 10:43
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 13:08
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/81781

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