Publication

Parliamentary elections in Algeria are due for 10 May. While these are not nearly as important as presidential elections from the population’s point of view, the question looms of whether they will open the way for political change. Doubts surround the ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s ability to finish his mandate. Understanding why the Arab spring has so far passed Algeria by is of considerable geostrategic import. This paper argues that there are several reasons for the apparent ‘Algerian silence’: historical antecedents that feed the opposition’s current organisational muddle, the government’s populism, and shortcomings in European strategies.