Bouteflika's Kabyle charm offensive

With President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s re-election a done deal, Algerians are expected to shun the country’s electoral proceedings on April 9. The incumbent has launched a major charm offensive in the Kabylia region, where scepticism of the central power has long kept people away from polling stations.

And what about you, planning to vote?

“After this warm welcome, I can finally rest in peace,” joked the Algerian president during a rally in Tizi Ouzon, in the country’s north-eastern Kabylia region, on March 27. As he embarked on a passionate plea for “national unity”, Bouteflika said he could not imagine Algeria being deprived of Kabylia. He also outlined a plan to boost the region’s economy. According to Said Sadi, leader of the opposition RCD party, the president’s camaign has spent 3.8 million euros in Kabylia alone. Yet, despite these efforts, calls for a boycott of the vote have thrived in a region still haunted by memories of the bloody crushing of riots in 2001. In the last presidential election in 2004, turnout in Kabylia was particularly low, even by Algerian standards: a mere 17.80% of voters bothered to cast a ballot.

Contributors

Mohammed Bessa

"The election is fixed, so we might as well go fishing"

Mohammed Bessa, 43, lives in the city of Bejaia in Kabylia.

Bouteflika is desperate to conquer Kabylia’s electorate. Given that Said Sadi and Ait Hocine have refused to stand, this will be the first election without a single candidate from the region’s democratic camp. The president wants to be the only candidate from the region, but he’s worried about voter abstention – his only real opponent. A low turnout would be interpreted as a punishment for his policies. Still , I expect the great majority of voters to shun the election. I, for one, won’t go to the polls. I don’t think conditions are in place for a democratic and pluralist vote. The election is fixed, so on April 9 we might as well go fishing."