Islamist parties lost ground in Algerian legislative elections

2007-05-22

Algeria's three main Islamist parties lost ground once again in the recent legislative elections. The steady decline of the parties is due in part to internal divisions and a lack of public interest in religious views. Some argue that the parties' decline stems from the fact that these parties no longer espouse radical Islamic ideology.

By Lyes Aflou for Magharebia in Algiers -- 22/05/2007

[Getty Images] Algerian scrutinisers count ballots following legislative elections in Algiers on May 17th.

The success of Algeria's leading Islamist parties further dwindled in the May 17th legislative elections. This year they won a total of only 59 seats, down from 82 in 2002 and 103 in 1997. Of the 389 seats in the lower chamber, the Movement for a Society of Peace (MSP) won 51 seats, Al-Nahda took 5 and El-Islah grabbed only 3.

Internal divisions are partially to blame for the Islamist parties' decline. The party most affected by in-house disputes was El Islah, whose charismatic leader Sheikh Abdellah Djabellah was barred from standing in the election on the grounds that he was no longer in control of the party. Observers believe El Islah may have been hurt when some of Djabellah's staunch supporters heeded his call for a boycott.

Rabah Kebir, ex-leader of the dissolved Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) has lived abroad for several years and recently decided to relaunch his political career. Kebir called on the public to "vote en masse in the legislative elections to make sure change happens," but his plea fell on deaf ears. His ineffectiveness may have stemmed from his staunch support for national reconciliation, which the three Islamist parties also support as they try to dissociate themselves from hard-line religious ideology.

But some analysts believe that moving away from radical Islam has also contributed to the decline of Islamist parties. Political journalist Hocine Kaci said that the break-up of the FIS marked the end of radical Islam in politics, something which poor people associated with far-reaching change. Islamist parties such as the MSP have become too closely associated with the government, Kaci said, because they have "had a hand in the running in city affairs, which have not gone well."

Nadia Abdelli, an Arabic teacher in a secondary school in Algiers told Magharebia that she did not vote on May 17th and that she believes that Islamist politicians are no different from any others. "They don’t keep their promises and the Assembly has always harboured pompous attitudes instead of fulfilling its role of overseeing the executive."

"What people are saying about the astronomical salaries the deputies get paid and their absenteeism is equally true of those from the Islamist parties, which tend to have a hand in things," said Ahmed Chekri, a former expat.

The MSP managed to win only three seats in Algiers and Mila, while the most that the Islamist parties could win in other wilayas was one or two seats, such as in Ghardaia where the MSP and Nahda took one seat each. The MSP won one seat in Skikda, and two in Constantine where Islah took one. In wilayas such as Tizi-Ouzou, Saida, Tiaret, Bejaia, Tamanrasset, El-Taref and Tissemsilt where parties held several rallies to encourage voters to turn out, the Islamist parties won no seats.

Despite their poor performance, officials in the Islamist parties remain optimistic.

Ait Messaoudene, advisor to the leader of the MSP said that it was too early to conclude that the Islamist movement is "losing ground", explaining that "several Islamist figures stood as independents or represented small parties."

Fateh Rebai, the leader of Al-Nahda, said that the fall in the number of seats won by Islamist parties in the elections "is no indication that the Islamist movement is in decline, but rather a consequence of the low turnout".