Democratic and Social Movement (Algeria)
Encyclopedia
Socialist Vanguard Party (in French
: Parti de l'Avant-Garde Socialiste) 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
. As an outgrowth of the Algerian Communist Party (Parti Communiste Algérien), which disappeared soon after Algerian independence, the PAGS has consistently opposed the government, offering sharp criticism of all political leaders and most of their programs. Its members, referred to as "Pagsistes", had infiltrated almost every legally recognized mass association despite their unofficial status. The Pagsistes were especially prominent in such organizations as the UNJA and UGTA, encouraging leftist tendencies.
The PAGS coalition relationship with the regime ended when Chadli Benhadid came to power, who sought to purge pagistes from positions of power within the state-party apparatus, and moved toward economic liberalization.
The party was legalized in 1989.
In 1993, PAGS was reconstructed as Ettehadi. A group who wanted to retain the communist legacy of the party broke away and formed the Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism
. During the Algerian Civil War
, Ettehadi strongly opposed the Islamists and supported the banning of FIS
.
In 1999, Ettehadi was reconstructed as the Democratic and Social Movement (Mouvement Démocratique et Social). In the 17 May 2007 People's National Assembly
elections
, the MDS won 0.89% of the vote and 1 out of 389 seats.
, support for the MDS was higher than its national average (0.89%) in the following provinces:
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Parti de l'Avant-Garde Socialiste) 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
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...
. As an outgrowth of the Algerian Communist Party (Parti Communiste Algérien), which disappeared soon after Algerian independence, the PAGS has consistently opposed the government, offering sharp criticism of all political leaders and most of their programs. Its members, referred to as "Pagsistes", had infiltrated almost every legally recognized mass association despite their unofficial status. The Pagsistes were especially prominent in such organizations as the UNJA and UGTA, encouraging leftist tendencies.
The PAGS coalition relationship with the regime ended when Chadli Benhadid came to power, who sought to purge pagistes from positions of power within the state-party apparatus, and moved toward economic liberalization.
The party was legalized in 1989.
In 1993, PAGS was reconstructed as Ettehadi. A group who wanted to retain the communist legacy of the party broke away and formed the Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism
Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism
The Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism is a political party in Algeria. It was formed in 1993 by the orthodox communist wing of Ettehadi that split to retain its communist legacy....
. During the Algerian Civil War
Algerian Civil War
The Algerian Civil War was an armed conflict between the Algerian government and various Islamist rebel groups which began in 1991. It is estimated to have cost between 150,000 and 200,000 lives, in a population of about 25,010,000 in 1990 and 31,193,917 in 2000.More than 70 journalists were...
, Ettehadi strongly opposed the Islamists and supported the banning of FIS
Islamic Salvation Front
The Islamic Salvation Front is an outlawed Islamist political party in Algeria.-Goals:...
.
In 1999, Ettehadi was reconstructed as the Democratic and Social Movement (Mouvement Démocratique et Social). In the 17 May 2007 People's National Assembly
People's National Assembly
The People's National Assembly is the lower house of the Algerian Parliament. It is composed of 380 members directly elected by the population....
elections
Algerian legislative election, 2007
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...
, the MDS won 0.89% of the vote and 1 out of 389 seats.
Regional strength
In the Algerian legislative election, 2007Algerian legislative election, 2007
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...
, support for the MDS was higher than its national average (0.89%) in the following provinces:
- Mascara ProvinceMascara ProvinceMascara is a province in Algeria. There was an earthquake in Mascara City on 18 August 1994 - 5.6 on the Richter scale - which killed 171 people. It was named after its capital, whose name means "military garrison" in Arabic, and which is unrelated to "Mascara", the cosmetic...
6.73% - Tissemsilt ProvinceTissemsilt ProvinceTissemsilt is the province n° 38 of Algeria with the capital being Tissemsilt. Théniet El Haâd National Park is there.-Administrative divisions:...
3.89% - Béjaïa ProvinceBéjaïa ProvinceBéjaïa is a province of Algeria. The capital city is Béjaïa. Gouraya National Park is there. A population of the endangered primate, Barbary Macaque is found within this the province's Gouraya National Park; this canid has a severely restricted and disjunctive range.-Administrative divisions:The...
3.55% - Béchar ProvinceBéchar ProvinceBéchar is a province in Algeria, named after its capital Béchar.The greater part of the province is uninhabitable sand dune fields , in particular the Great Western Erg and the Erg Er Raoui, or dry plains suitable for grazing but with insufficient surface water to support agriculture...
2.66% - Saïda ProvinceSaïda ProvinceSaïda is a province of Algeria, named after its capital.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 6 districts , which are further divided into 16 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn El Hadjar...
2.42% - Tébessa ProvinceTébessa ProvinceTébessa is a province of Algeria. Tébessa is also the name of the capital, which in ancient times it was known as Theveste. Another important city is El Ouenza.Tebessa is located only 20 kilometers west from Tunisia border....
2.19% - Mila ProvinceMila ProvinceMila is a province of Algeria, whose capital is Mila. Other localities include Telerghma, Grarem Gouga, Hamala and Rouached.-Administrative divisions:...
2.16% - Relizane ProvinceRelizane ProvinceRelizane is a province of Algeria. Relizane is the capital. Other localities include Bendaoud, Bouzegza, Hamri, Kalaa, Mazouna and Zemmoura.-Administrative divisions:...
2.13% - Chlef ProvinceChlef ProvinceChlef is a province in Algeria, and has about 1 million inhabitants. Its capital is Chlef. Another locality is Ténès, on the Mediterranean Sea.-Administrative divisions:...
2.06% - Sidi Bel Abbès ProvinceSidi Bel Abbès ProvinceSidi Bel Abbès is one of the provinces of Algeria. Its name is derived from the name of its capital, the city of Sidi Bel Abbès. It is situated in the northwestern part of the country.-Administrative divisions:...
1.81% - Tlemcen ProvinceTlemcen ProvinceTlemcen is a province in northwestern Algeria. The Tlemcen National Park is located there.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 20 districts , which are further divided into 53 communes or municipalities....
1.43% - Souk Ahras ProvinceSouk Ahras ProvinceSouk Ahras is a province in Algeria, named after its capital, Souk Ahras. It stands on the border between Algeria and Tunisia.- Geography :Souk Ahras is situated in the extreme north east of Algeria, it is 4360 km²....
1.39% - Boumerdès ProvinceBoumerdès ProvinceBoumerdès is a province of northern Algeria, between Algiers and Tizi-Ouzou, with its capital at the coastal city of Boumerdès just east of Algiers.-Administrative divisions:...
1.35% - Skikda ProvinceSkikda ProvinceSkikda is a province of Algeria, on its eastern Mediterranean coastline.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 13 districts , which are further divided into 38 communes or municipalities.-Districts:...
1.23% - Annaba ProvinceAnnaba ProvinceAnnaba is a small province in the north-eastern corner of Algeria. Its capital, Annaba is Algeria's main port for mineral exports.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 6 districts and 12 municipalities.The districts are:...
1.13%