Algeria 2014 Elections Could be Rigged Once Again

The Algeria 2014 elections are set to commence in April with contesters abstaining out of worry of rampant fraud.

Once again, for the fourth time since the 90s, the presidential elections in Algeria are being labeled as a fraud – a rigging of a president that has seen three consecutive five-year terms, in spite of the fact that the constitution previously only allowed two maximum terms.

With the previously ailing president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a man widely credited with helping to end the civil war in this nation that cost 200,000 lives, coming suddenly back onto the scene after taking a discernible leave of absence for much of the year due to health reasons, proponents have once again seen their hopes dashed.

Seeing as Bouteflika essentially controls the government with an iron fist, sacking those who do not do his bidding and replacing them with high level officials who do his bidding, his recent filing during the last 24 hour period to announce his candidacy has many citizens worried that things will remain as the status quo for yet another five years.

A recent Al Jazeera report shed light on the notion that the May legislative elections were widely pegged as fraudulent, with the ruling party, the National Liberation Front, claiming unprecedented turnout and speculated favorable votes.

When the Constitutional Council received Bouteflika’s filing this past week, many citizens were downcast in their hopes for a more prominent citizen like Ali Benflis, who is running without the NLF backing, to have a shot at a presidential bid.

In the Al Jazeera report, they undermined the reported turnout of 42.9 percent, stating that it was rigged so that people would think that enough turned out for it to be realistic and believable. The article specifically stated: “Electoral fraud by Algeria's government is normal practice and expected. All elections since 1992, when the regime annulled Algeria's only truly democratic elections, have been rigged.”

Will the Algeria 2014 presidential election be any different this time around for hopeful Ali Benflis? Only time will tell. If they are not, it could shatter the peace of this nation and lead to increased unrest.

Algeria 2014 Elections Could Be Marred by Deceptive Numbers

Can the Algeria 2014 presidential elections avoid the fraud that has cast a shadow over the previous ones?

For 15 years, Algeria has seen the same president rule at its helm: aging.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Now as the Algeria 2014 elections get underway – in April of this year – many are speculating that the fraud that has cast a shadow over them in the past will be just as rampant this time around.

In 2004, when Ali Benflis ran and was defeated, most other parties boycotted the elections, citing concerns of undeniable fraud. It was during this election that Bouteflika won his second term, later amending the constitution and winning a third term in 2009. Now, with his fourth term prospects looming, many are wondering if Benflis is the only hope for the people.

Case and Point

The most recent legislative elections in Algeria took place in May of 2012. They were widely considered to be rigged as well. According to a Gulf News report, observers stated about a 30 percent turnout nationwide, whereas the government stated nearly a 43 percent turnout, prompting a rash of reports citing fraud at the polling stations. With two parties dominating the elections in 2012 – FLN and Green Alliance – and taking a majority of the seats, the promise of a revised constitution and more efficacious elections has gone out the window with the two sister parties still controlling the government in the Algeria 2014 elections.

Benflis has been a favorite in recent times because he connects to the college graduates and the people. In a nation where graduates suffer a 20 percent unemployment ratio and where the oil rich nation has regular unrest from civilians who can’t find jobs, can’t afford to eat and have little or no utilities, a fourth term for Bouteflika could spell peril. 

Or the worst of what people have feared, an Arab Spring or outright civil war when 70 percent of the population is under the age of 35 and is being ruled by 30 percent, who is out of touch with the society they are supposed to be serving.

Islamist Party to Boycott Algeria 2014 Elections

In the most recent news, the Islamist party has announced that they will be boycotting the Algeria 2014 elections.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika is facing stiff opposition when he heads to the Algeria 2014 election in mid-April of this year. Namely, he’ll have to contend with people’s favorite, Ali Benflis, who connects with the rising group of persons under the age of 35, who represent more than 70 percent of the election. But he won’t have to contend with the Movement of Society for Peace party—which has recently announced that they will be boycotting the election in accordance with a number of other major parties, citing concerns of fraud.

In a recent interview with Fox News, the party stated that “conditions weren't right for a free choice for Algerians.” While the party has taken part in most elections in the past, this will represent the first time that they will be abstaining.

In the previous May, 2012 legislative election, the government stated a turnout of about 43 percent versus what local news agencies and reporters claimed was a meager 30 percent, causing unrest and discontent over viable instances of election fraud. A number of party observers even witnessed people submitting damaged or voided ballots. And many noted that the numbers were disparately different than what they witnessed when the government announced the official results.

The Algeria 2014 election looms just around the corner. A country that’s already beset by civil and political unrest, a rising insurgency and no sign of a middle class, with a large portion of the nation destitute, it could be a disaster if Bouteflika is elected again. Meanwhile, about 70 percent of the nation is under the age of 35, whereas the ruling parties are comprised of elderly war heroes from the independence days. The majority of the nation is eagerly awaiting a president that represents the will of the people.  

If Bouteflika does win again, and if the elections are deemed as fraud, it could spell a long Arab Spring for Algeria.