Algeria “Not Immune” to the Arab Uprisings

In an interview with Reuters, leader of the Front for Justice and Development party, Sheikh Abdallah Djaballah, said that the Algerian government has failed to address the undemocratic system and has instead tried to hand out money to appease popular dissent. He said, “The regime wanted to fix the problem financially by saying that the crisis is social and that raising wages will be enough… It is true that the social aspect of the crisis is real, but the key problem remains political.” The fundamental problem is that average Algerians do not identify with the government, and believe protesting is their only avenue for being heard. The number of protests in Algeria fell sharply after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika gave raises to public employees and increased food subsidies. But Djaballah described the government’s response as “very dangerous,” and predicted that “a big explosion may happen at any time.”