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1 [1] (July 28, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdbel0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 01;0i E~$~ & p\w gnom ggmm mppm qq\ , q I as 11LIANJILiN, Updated July 28, 2020 Algeria The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic largely halted a yearlong mass protest movement in early 2020, but questions remain about the future of Algeria's political system. Defining features have included a strong presidency and security apparatus, a state-centric economy with an oligarchic business class, and social welfare programs fueled by oil and natural gas revenues. In early 2019, then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to abandon his reelection bid, and then to resign, amid swelling protests and a public withdrawal of support from then-chief of defense staff General Ahmed Gaid Salah. Senate leader Abdelkader Bensalah became interim head of state pending elections for a new president, consistent with the constitution, although the vote was delayed past constitutional timelines. Gaid Salah then appeared to consolidate influence at the expense of the powerful and sometimes rival military intelligence service (which Bouteflika had brought under the presidency's control) and of top business and ruling party figures, many of whom were prosecuted on corruption or national security grounds. The election was ultimately held in December 2019, in the face of protester demands for deeper political changes. Activists' calls for a boycott appeared to depress turnout, officially 40%. Abdelmadjid Tebboune (74), a former prime minister who ran as an independent, was declared the winner with 58%, besting four other political insiders. Viewed as favored in the race by Gaid Salah, Tebboune arguably hails from the economic nationalist wing of the political elite: during his brief tenure as prime minister in 2017, he imposed sweeping import restrictions and sought to curtail the influence of the business class. Gaid Salah died of a heart attack shortly after the election and was replaced by Gen. Said Chengriha (75), former army chief of staff and a veteran of the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars. Whether and how the events of 2019 might lead to more accountable and transparent governance are uncertain, as is the extent of President Tebboune's power and commitment to such goals. Tebboune has offered dialogue with protesters, pardoned some activists, and floated changes to the constitution. At the same time, a growing number of protest leaders and local journalists have faced criminal charges and/or prison terms in 2020, and the constitutional proposals appear unlikely to alter the fundamental balance of power. After the country locked down due to COVID-19 in March-April 2020, authorities blocked several critical internet news sites, while parliament enacted a new law criminalizing fake news deemed harmful to state security. Hundreds of people were reportedly detained when small protests resurged in some cities in May-June 2020. Economic challenges, which have worsened with the pandemic, may fuel further unrest. Context. Algeria remained comparatively stable between 2011 and 2018 amid turmoil elsewhere in North Africa, but the prospect of an uncertain leadership transition loomed. Figure I. Algeria at a Glance Languagei: Ai o.... .......... Religions: MAusim{okilprd N A Life Expectancy /175 ra-3rs Ulterery; 8 20 18 GDP (2O19) r~t rate 2% Source: CRS graphic; data from CIA World Factbook + IMF (2019). After the country was wracked by internal conflict in the 1990s, Bouteflika's two decade-long presidency emphasized national reconciliation and improved living standards, but official decision-making was often opaque, with politicians, security officials, and business leaders reportedly wielding influence. Despite being largely silenced by illness, Bouteflika was reelected in 2014 and again sought reelection in 2019. Observers interpreted this as resulting from an elite impasse over who might succeed him, as members of the revolutionary generation who had long dominated politics aged and passed away. Two parties dominate the institutionally weak parliament: the National Liberation Front (FLN), which led the fight for independence and was the sole legal party for decades, and the National Rally for Democracy (RND), considered close to the military. Both backed former Minister of Culture Azzedine Mihoubi for president in December 2019; he lost. The opposition is diverse and divided, comprising leftist, Islamist, Berber-led, and regionally focused parties. Many exhibit internal divisions. Some analysts argue that political Islam has been discredited in Algeria due to armed Islamists' role in the 1990s civil conflict, or conversely due to some Islamists' accommodation with the state. The Islamic Salvation Front, whose rapid electoral gains in 1991 sparked a military coup and the subsequent conflict, remains banned. Religiously conservative Salafist social movements have grown in prominence since the conflict. COVID-19. Algeria has been a COVID-19 hotspot in Africa, possibly due in part to travel and family connections with Europe, along with ample domestic transportation infrastructure (which facilitates internal travel and thus, contagion). As of July 24, Algeria had recorded nearly 25,500 cases (about 5.8 per 10,000 people, slightly higher than Morocco and significantly higher than Tunisia), and the rate of new infections was rising. The pandemic's economic impact, including continued downward pressure on global energy prices, is also a key concern; as of April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted Algeria's GDP would shrink by 5.2% in 2020.

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