Popular Movement and Democratic Transition in Algeria: Opportunities and Challenges

Safou Mohamed

doi:10.7176/jaas/58-11

Abstract

Since its inception on February 22nd, 2019, the popular movement in Algeria has formed a new horizon for democratic change, by peacefully demanding a radical change of regime and the establishment of a new system in which only the people are the source of all power. Despite the peaceful nature of the movement and its national character, it transcended all tribal, regional and ethnic affiliations and united on the need to move towards a democratic system of government.However, this has faced a set of challenges, perhaps the most important: the difficulty of controlling the relationship between civil and military in Algeria. It is difficult to confine the military's tasks to implementing the nation's defence policy. The military has become synonymous with the political system, and any successful democratic transformation must be negotiated. Keywords: popular movement, democratization, military establishment DOI : 10.7176/JAAS/58-11 Publication date :November 30 th 2019

Highlights

Since its independence on July 05th 1962, Algeria has been keen to adopt the one-party system (National Liberation Front) to manage the state
Justifyingthe latter based on the historical legitimacy on the one hand, and the promises made by the authority at that time by applying a development model that makes Algeria the Japan of Africa on the other hand
The political practice, after a quarter of a century, revealed a complex crisis that could plague the Algerian state .When power was diagnosed, society was excluded resulting in crisis of participation and the lack of justice in the distribution of wealth and its repercussions on the legitimacy of the political system as a whole

Summary

Introduction

Since its independence on July 05th 1962, Algeria has been keen to adopt the one-party system (National Liberation Front) to manage the state. Political pluralism did not provide a solution to the crisis, but increased its complexity of danger, especially after the obstruction of the electoral process in January 1992 and the resulting bloody situation and its high cost on security and economic, in other words it was a "national tragedy" To overcome this tragedy, the electoral process was resumed and the reconstruction of state institutions was initiated on the basis of popular legitimacy despite its shortcomings at that stage.Hopes were high for buildinga modern democratic state with the 1999 presidential election, compared to the high level of the political discourse and the promises made by the winning candidate, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. What are the chances of this popular movement in the success of the democratic transition in Algeria, and what are the challenges facing it?

Definition of the popular movement

Conclusion