Algeria: Openness or Status Quo? Policy Paper, No.10, Ifri, December 2004

Is 2004 Algeria really different from pre-October 1988 events Algeria: one-party system, political discredit, questioning about the openness of the political field? Would she be more comparable to the 1970s Algeria, characterized by a strong presidential regime?

Two main events have, however, considerably modified the order while facilitating president Bouteflika's re-election: the 9/11 attacks and their corollary, the 'global war on terror', and the sharp improvement of Algeria's financial situation.

Moreover, will the legitimacy of president Bouteflika's mandate depend on the economic issue? Indeed, hopes for a reform in both the economic and financial systems are very high.

Naoufel Brahimi el Mili
Ph.D in political sciences, Naoufel Brahimi el Mili teaches political economy of the Arab world at the Institut d’études politiques of Paris, and regularly publishes his analyses in the French and Algerian media.

Saïd Djaafer
A graduate in political sciences, Saïd Djaafer began his career as a journalist in 1984.  He has been working since 1996 as political columnist at an Algerian media.

Ihsane El Kadi
A graduate in political economy, Ihsane El Kadi is an independent journalist in Algiers. He was committed to trade-union and democratic struggles during the 1980’s, and he took part in the foundation of the French daily La Tribune, which he directed from 1994 to 1996.

Akram Ellyas
A journalist for the economic and financial Parisian daily La Tribune, within which he is a specialist on issues about international economy, Akram Ellyas has published several books on the Maghreb and is presently working on an essay on the Algerian crisis.

Khadija Mohsen-Finan
Ph.D in political sciences, Khadija Mohsen-Finan is Research Fellow at Ifri and Professor at the Institut d'études politiques of Paris. 

This content is published in French - Algérie : ouverture ou statu quo ?