Algerian legislative election, 2007
Encyclopedia
Legislative elections were held in Algeria
on 17 May 2007. 24 political parties and around 100 independent lists with a total of more than 12,000 candidates competed for the 389 seats in the National People's Assembly. While most Algerians voted on May 17th, immigrants from Algeria to other countries (especially France
) and Algerians living in the Sahara
(i.e. Southern Algeria) and other nomad
s and semi-nomads voted on May 16 due to the distance from Algiers
, the country's capital.
At 35% of the 18.7 million voters, the turnout was the lowest in Algerian history. Several political organisations, notably the Front of Socialist Forces, the ex-communist Democratic and Social Movement
, leading members of the former Islamic Salvation Front
(Abbassi Madani
and Ali Belhadj
), the main faction of the split Islamist Islah
Party, and the newly formed organisation Rachad
, had called on their supporters to boycott these elections. These political groups claimed that the elections were consistently rigged by the government, and that participation merely lent a fundamentally corrupt process undeserved legitimacy.
The only notable remaining armed group in Algeria, the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb
, issued a video calling participation in the elections "a great sin", adding its voice to the boycott calls. Tight security measures were implemented to protect the elections; however, two bombs exploded in Constantine
the day before the election, killing a police officer and wounding five others.
Said Bouchair, the head of the national commission of legislative election control, initially reported that ballot boxes in some areas were being stuffed with FLN ballots, that observers were being prevented from attending, and that some areas refused to open ballot boxes before voting began to allow observers to see whether they were empty or not. He then retracted his statement and apologised. About 15% of ballots were spoiled.
The Constitutional Council confirmed the results of the election, with slight changes to the voter turn-out rate and number of seats won by some parties, on May 21. It rejected appeals regarding the election on May 30.
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
on 17 May 2007. 24 political parties and around 100 independent lists with a total of more than 12,000 candidates competed for the 389 seats in the National People's Assembly. While most Algerians voted on May 17th, immigrants from Algeria to other countries (especially France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) and Algerians living in the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
(i.e. Southern Algeria) and other nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
s and semi-nomads voted on May 16 due to the distance from Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, the country's capital.
At 35% of the 18.7 million voters, the turnout was the lowest in Algerian history. Several political organisations, notably the Front of Socialist Forces, the ex-communist Democratic and Social Movement
Democratic and Social Movement (Algeria)
Socialist Vanguard Party founded in 1966. The party was led by El Hachemi Chérif. Although not legally recognized, it has persisted as a political opposition party throughout the single-party period in Algeria...
, leading members of the former Islamic Salvation Front
Islamic Salvation Front
The Islamic Salvation Front is an outlawed Islamist political party in Algeria.-Goals:...
(Abbassi Madani
Abbassi Madani
Dr. Abbassi Madani was born in 1931 at Diyar Ben Aissa, Sidi Okba . He was the President of the Islamic Salvation Front in Algeria...
and Ali Belhadj
Ali Belhadj
Ali Belhadj was the Vice-President of the Islamic Salvation Front .Born in 1956 in Tunis to parents of Mauritanian origin from the wilaya of Adrar in Algeria, Belhadj became a teacher of Arabic and an Islamist activist in the 1970s...
), the main faction of the split Islamist Islah
Islah
Islah is an Arabic word meaning to repair, often translated as to reform or reshape. Also the name of several reform parties.-Related links:*El-Islah*Jamaah Islah Malaysia*Yemeni Congregation for Reform*Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen*Tajdid...
Party, and the newly formed organisation Rachad
Rachad
Rachad is an Algerian political movement. Its stated objective is to "break with political practices in place since independence" and "establish a state in which the rule of law, democratic principles and good governance prevail" through non-violent means...
, had called on their supporters to boycott these elections. These political groups claimed that the elections were consistently rigged by the government, and that participation merely lent a fundamentally corrupt process undeserved legitimacy.
The only notable remaining armed group in Algeria, the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb
Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb
The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat is a radical Islamist militia which aims to overthrow the Algerian government and institute an Islamic state. To that end, it is currently engaged in an insurgent campaign.The group...
, issued a video calling participation in the elections "a great sin", adding its voice to the boycott calls. Tight security measures were implemented to protect the elections; however, two bombs exploded in Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
the day before the election, killing a police officer and wounding five others.
Said Bouchair, the head of the national commission of legislative election control, initially reported that ballot boxes in some areas were being stuffed with FLN ballots, that observers were being prevented from attending, and that some areas refused to open ballot boxes before voting began to allow observers to see whether they were empty or not. He then retracted his statement and apologised. About 15% of ballots were spoiled.
The Constitutional Council confirmed the results of the election, with slight changes to the voter turn-out rate and number of seats won by some parties, on May 21. It rejected appeals regarding the election on May 30.