Land area: 2,381,740 Km2
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Capital: Algiers (al Jaza'ir)
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Legislature: Algeria has a bicameral legislature. The
National People's Assembly (al-Majlis al-Sha'abi
al-Watani) has 380 members, elected for five-year terms from multi-member
constitituencies by proportional representation. Eight
seats are reserved for Algerians abroad. The
National
Council (al-Majlis al-Umma) has 144 members, 96 elected by communal councils
and 48 appointed by the President.
Electoral authority: Algerian elections are conducted by the government.
Freedom House 2005 rating: Political Rights 6, Civil Liberties 5
Political history
Algeria was a province of the Ottoman Empire from the 16th century until it was
seized by the French in 1830. France saw the coastal areas as suitable for European
settlement and by the 1950s there were a million French settlers, ruling in feudal
fashion over the Arab population. The interior was never entirely pacified.
Arab nationalism began to be felt after the First World War, and the Arab
population was given limited representation in the French National Assembly. The
Popular Front government elected in France in 1936 proposed to give the Arab Algerians
full equality, but this was frustrated by the settlers and the French conservatives.
After the Second World War General de Gaulle again promised the Arabs equality, but
again this promise was frustrated. The National Liberation Front began armed resistance
to French rule in 1954.
The Algerian War was extremely bloody and involved torture and massacres by
both sides. By 1958 the failure of successive French governments to defeat the FLN led
to a settler rebellion, backed by the French army, which threatened to spill over into a
coup d'etat in France. De Gaulle returned to power on a platform of "Algerie Francaise,"
but instead sold the settlers out and negotiated with the FLN. Algeria became independent
in June 1962 and all the settlers emigrated.
The FLN soon proved to be doctrinaire socialists and incompetent rulers, and
Algeria was saved from bankruptcy only by its great oil wealth. The independence leader
Ahmed ben Bella was removed from power in 1965 and Houari Boumedienne set up a
dictatorship which lasted until his death in 1978.
In 1991 President Chadli Bendjedid promised free elections, but when the Islamic
Salvation Front led in the first round, the army stepped in and the elections were
cancelled. Chadli then resigned, the army took power, and the Islamist movement resorted
to armed resistance, leading to a very violent civil war that lasted through the 1990s.
Since 1994 the army has been trying to extricate itself from the consequences of
its own folly by an erratic policy of concessions and repression. Reasonably fair
elections were held regularly since 1994, but opposition parties have usually boycotted them and
the Islamist parties remain illegal. Since the election of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
in 1999 the level of violence has declined.
Amnesty Intenational commented in 2002:
"Human rights groups which criticized or opposed government policies on human rights issues faced restrictions. Some were refused legal registration by national or local authorities and others, which were already legally registered, were denied authorization to hold meetings and public events. Demonstrations by associations of families of the ''disappeared'' and of victims of armed groups, and by trade unionists and students were sometimes broken up by the security forces who beat demonstrators; several demonstrators were arrested. At least two political parties which applied for legal registration were refused, in violation of national law."
Arab nationalism began to be felt after the First World War, and the Arab population was given limited representation in the French National Assembly. The Popular Front government elected in France in 1936 proposed to give the Arab Algerians full equality, but this was frustrated by the settlers and the French conservatives. After the Second World War General de Gaulle again promised the Arabs equality, but again this promise was frustrated. The National Liberation Front began armed resistance to French rule in 1954.
The Algerian War was extremely bloody and involved torture and massacres by both sides. By 1958 the failure of successive French governments to defeat the FLN led to a settler rebellion, backed by the French army, which threatened to spill over into a coup d'etat in France. De Gaulle returned to power on a platform of "Algerie Francaise," but instead sold the settlers out and negotiated with the FLN. Algeria became independent in June 1962 and all the settlers emigrated.
The FLN soon proved to be doctrinaire socialists and incompetent rulers, and Algeria was saved from bankruptcy only by its great oil wealth. The independence leader Ahmed ben Bella was removed from power in 1965 and Houari Boumedienne set up a dictatorship which lasted until his death in 1978.
In 1991 President Chadli Bendjedid promised free elections, but when the Islamic Salvation Front led in the first round, the army stepped in and the elections were cancelled. Chadli then resigned, the army took power, and the Islamist movement resorted to armed resistance, leading to a very violent civil war that lasted through the 1990s.
Since 1994 the army has been trying to extricate itself from the consequences of its own folly by an erratic policy of concessions and repression. Reasonably fair elections were held regularly since 1994, but opposition parties have usually boycotted them and the Islamist parties remain illegal. Since the election of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 1999 the level of violence has declined.
Amnesty Intenational commented in 2002: "Human rights groups which criticized or opposed government policies on human rights issues faced restrictions. Some were refused legal registration by national or local authorities and others, which were already legally registered, were denied authorization to hold meetings and public events. Demonstrations by associations of families of the ''disappeared'' and of victims of armed groups, and by trade unionists and students were sometimes broken up by the security forces who beat demonstrators; several demonstrators were arrested. At least two political parties which applied for legal registration were refused, in violation of national law."