Bouteflika... 10th president of Algeria. He was elected in 1999 and is currently on his third term, which is probably why Algerians are ready to dump him...
in response to the opposition calling for a "system change" in the wake of revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, began to raise doubts about his sincerity.
"We already feel the renewed confidence of power, its fear passed, the recovery of lost ground and its new confidence," observed a Sunday columnist for the Quotidien d'Oran.
In early January, when nobody envisaged the rebellion that would sweep the Arab countries, take the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents, threaten dictators in Yemen, Libya and Syria, Algeria has experienced violent riots against high prices that left five people dead and over 800 maimed.
In response, the authority has agreed salary increases, granted credit for enterprise creation by young people and housing, and fell on the control of the informal market. Denying a political crisis, it conceded the lifting of emergency rule that hinders freedoms since 1992.
"Boiling is too strong to be ignored: anything that refers to the stomach is saved but all that is part of the head and suggests a political perspective is denied," added Said Sadi, the president of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD).
| No doubt that made more sense in the original Arabic... |
The promise does not raise the enthusiasm of the leader of the RCD, whose nine attempted demonstration in Algiers on Saturday, were blocked by police.
"We must not grow any illusions about the willingness nor the capacity of Mr. Bouteflika to leave the swamp as he is convinced that the current system is what is best for the country," he said.
Wary of his side a "necessary democratic contagion" by the Arab revolution, the historic leader of the Socialist Forces Front (FFS), Hocine Ait-Ahmed, observes that "a broader social base lacks all these resistances to injustice, violence and oppression."
"We can not but see that the wall of fear has been replaced and exacerbated deep in our society by a wall of fatigue and disgust. Weariness and disgust of false elites imposed in the shadow of terror, politico-financial mafia, rigged elections and media under surveillance", he denounced Saturday.
If not specified the content of political reforms envisaged, we speculated extensively on a revision of the 1996 constitution sought by the opposition and even by the three parties of the presidential alliance.
The National Liberation Front (FLN, the former unique party, the National Democratic Rally (RND) led by Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP, Islamist) say they favor a revision "even deeper" from the Basic Law amended two years ago to allow Mr. Bouteflika to run for a third term.
These parties do not wish, however, the election of a constituent assembly claimed by the FFS and the Workers' Party (Trotskyist - far left).