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After 132 years of French rule and eight years of the
bloodiest warfare, Algeria became independent on 3 July 1962, and the
country was named The Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria. During
the next three years, Algeria’s new leaders, with Ahmed Ben Bella
as President, ruled with an iron fist and imposed an archaic ideological
type of socialism which made his government in the long run an obstacle
to the construction of a new nation. An additional problem was caused
by the departure of the French settlers, who had controlled all public
administration and managed the country’s economy and agriculture.
Basic activities were almost at a standstill. On 19 June 1965, the Vice-President
and Minister of Defence, Colonel Houari Boumediene, with a group of army
officers, overthrew Ben Bella’s regime.
Colonel Boumediene in turn ruled the country with a
one-party system, the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) and the
army. Despite several coup attempts, he controlled successfully all political
activities and built up a modern Algerian state. He died on 27 December
1978 and was succeeded by Colonel Chadli Benjedid, who ran the country
in good order until the success of Front Islamique du Salut (Islamic Salvation
Front) (FIS) in the first round of elections in December 1991 caused the
army to intervene and to depose President Chadli Benjedid, and the subsequent
elections were cancelled. A crack-down on FIS followed and finally, the
FIS was disbanded. In early January 1992 the army chiefs under the pretext
of safeguarding the interests of the country, established the High Security
Council to run the country as a collegiate presidency until the end of
President Chadli’s term of office in December 1993. In order to avoid
international criticism, the army generals offered the job of the High
Security Council Chairman to Mohamed Boudiaf, one of the early leaders
of the war of independence who had lived in exile in Morocco since 1964.
He gladly accepted the job and returned home. A few weeks after taking
the job, he began moves towards eradicating corruption. On 29 June 1992
he was assassinated while opening a cultural centre in Annaba, eastern
Algeria.
In January 1994, the ruling Committee appointed General
Liamine Zeroual, Minister of Defence, to the post of Head of State, and
a general election took place on 16 November 1995. General Zeroual was
elected for a five-years’ term by 61 per cent of votes.
In September 1998, President Zeroual announced on television
that he would stand down as soon as a presidential election could be organised.
In 1999, almost two years before the end of his five-year term, he handed
over to Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The reason which was given at the time was
that President Zeroual was suffering from poor health. But it was widely
acknowledged at the time that he was forced out as a result of infighting
within the army high command.
On 15 April 1999, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who returned
from the exile he had chosen following allegations of corruption while
he was Foreign Minister of Algeria from 1962-78, stepped into the limelight
and ran for president. He was elected with 74 per cent of votes. No other
candidates stood.
His five-years’ term expired in April 2004, and
he was re-elected in that month with 84.99 per cent. However, the army
chiefs who supported him in the 1999 election issued a statement in February
2004 saying that they would not support any candidates to the Presidency.
Algeria comprises the central section of the Maghreb
and a large part of the Sahara, and has an area of 2,381,741 sq.km. On
the coast of North Africa, yet close to Europe, Algeria feels the pull
of two continents. The largest of the Maghreb states, her main geographical
divisions are: the Coastal Chain and valleys of the Tell, in the north;
the Sahara Atlas (the eastern reach up to the High Atlas range) in the
centre; the plateau region between the Tell and the Atlas, to the West;
and the Sahara desert to the south.
Lower in the west, and with its highest hills in the
Kabylia region, the limestone range of the Djurdjura, in the Tell, reaches
2,286 metres in places. The Saharan Atlas stretches to Biskra, at its
eastern end, and rises from the west to reach the peaks of the Ksour (2,234.75
metres), the mountain Amour (1,920.24 metres) the Oulad-Neils (1,645.92
metres); and the Ziban and Aurès Peaks are also over 2,328 metres.
The high plateaux region between the Tell and the Saharan Atlas is 200
km wide, in places reaching 1,066.80 metres in height and containing shallow,
brackish depressions, the chotts, these being also found south of the
Aurès, near the Tunisian border. The climate in the north is Mediterranean;
south of the Tell it is steppe-like, and frost is common during the winter,
while to the south of the Atlas a desert climate prevails. Libya continues
to claim about 32,000 sq.km in a long-standing border dispute still reflected
on Libyan maps covering south-eastern Algeria.
LANGUAGE
After independence, Arabic was declared the national
language, but the government and professional bodies were faced with a
double dilemma. In the first place, the leading nationalists, academics
and government officials used French as their means of communication to
each other and to the people. In fact, to the present day, there is still
some conflict between the views of those who desire to be rid of French,
the language of colonialism and humiliation, and those who are committed
to French as the language of science, culture, communication and commerce.
RELIGION AND ETHNICITY
The vast majority of Algeria’s 32,818,500 inhabitants
are Sunni Muslims of the Malikite school, and of Arab and Berber extraction.
The 40-45 per cent Berber-speaking population lives for the most part
in Kabylia, the Aurès, the Mzab and the Hoggar region. The earliest
known people, in Algeria as in other Maghrebi countries, were the Berbers,
and despite invasions by the Vandals in 429, and continuing up to European
colonialisation and Independence, the Berber language and culture is still
flourishing. The reason for this has been that the Berbers were satisfied
to be left alone by the new conquerors. However, since independence for
all the North African countries, the Berber population has been demanding
official recognition of their language and culture; but this issue has
been ignored by the government, despite the fact that there are Berber
ministers and deputies.
Morocco has finally recognised the problem and has established
a Berber Institute to promote the Berber language and culture. Since September
2003, the Berber language is taught in Moroccan schools and also used
on radio and television.
RELIGIOUS MINORITIES
The Algerian authorities do not interfere with the worship
of the one per cent Christian and Jewish population. However, any activities
such as distribution of non-Islamic religious literature or trying to
engage Algerians in debate about Christianity, are prohibited.
ECONOMY
The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the Algerian
economy, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of budget revenues, 30 per
cent of GDP, and over 95 per cent of export earnings. Another additional
foreign earning is Algerian workers’ remittances from abroad. Algeria
has the fifth largest reserve of natural gas in the world and is the second-largest
gas exporter; moreover, it ranks fourteenth in oil reserves in the world
market.
AGRICULTURE
Algeria was at one time the producer and exporter of
wine, cereals, grain, potatoes and tomatoes. However, since independence,
agriculture, the principal means of livelihood for many of the Algerian
population for centuries, has declined in output, combined with a significant
downward trend in the capital income of the agricultural sector.
A number of factors have contributed to the continuing
decline in Algerian agriculture, apart from drought, the most important
of which has been that the government has neglected this sector in order
to allow the well-organised local Algerian import companies freedom to
import food commodities. Also, during the last few years, due to civil
war, many farmers have abandoned their farms to seek shelter in the safer
cities, and workers who now receive a guaranteed monthly wage in other
sectors simply do not have the incentive to work in agriculture. Privately-owned
farms cannot at present get a loan from a bank or help from the state
in order to increase production and compete with imported foods. For example,
in 2003, there was very good rainfall all over Algeria, yet farmers could
not find seeds, fertilisers and spare parts for machinery in the market.
In fact, all statistics since independence to the present day show that
the goal of the government for agriculture is simple: that importing food
stuffs is better.
A further indicator is that, in all North African countries
the import companies belong to highly influential people within the local
establishment. Indeed, if one examines the profiles of the directors of
these companies, it is apparent that these directors have family relations
with the ruling élite. These links gives them carte blanche to
import any commodities without interference from the State.
In 2003, the Algerian Minister of Agriculture, Mr Benalia
Belhouadjeb, said that his Ministry will correct the past mistakes and
will help Algerian farmers to improve their revenues and obtain loans
from banks which have been denied to them in the past. He also seeks cooperation
with the Spanish and the Canadians in the modernisation of Algerian agriculture,
especially in the wine sector. The Minister is also in favour of privatising
state-owned agricultural land.
POLITICAL PARTIES
There are about 20 political parties in Algeria, and
six are represented in the Chamber of Deputies, but the FLN, which was
the only legal political party from independence until 1989, still commands
a lead.
THE PRESS
There are several independent and government newspapers.
The independent press is often silenced by the authorities although the
government has not in the past used legal mechanisms to ban newspapers.
Nevertheless, the State-owned printers and distributors, who have exclusive
control in this field, often refuse to print the productions of the independent
press on the grounds that these publishers owe money to the State, and
the printers regularly remove pages of text without any legal justification.
The independent press also suffers from a lack of advertising revenues
since most companies prefer to advertise in the State-owned newspaper,
El-moudjahid. Independent radio and television are not allowed at present.
TOURISM
At present, tourism is almost non-existent, and those
who wish to apply for a tourist visa need an accommodation certificate
duly certified by the authorities in Algeria.
ENTRY/ EXIT REQUIREMENTS
A valid passport is required, and a visa is required
for almost all travellers. The processing time takes several days. One
should therefore apply to an Algerian Consulate well in advance of travel
to the country, especially as there will be a need to obtain an accommodation
certificate and, in case of a business visa, to obtain an invitation letter
from an Algerian sponsor company.
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