Louisa Hanoune has come out well. The head of the Trotskyite Workers’ Party turned out in second place in Algeria’s recent presidential election on 9 April. Her candidacy, which saw opposition from the ranks of Algeria’s historical opposition parties and some former supporters, placed her well in light of the regime and with some abroad. Importantly, they provide her with a basis from which to oppose the regime whilst providing her national name recognition and notoriety.
In 2004, she came in second to last, with only 1% of the vote. Bouteflika handsomely defeated all of his competitors, the most prominent of them being his former deputy Ali Benflis who enjoyed backing from some military hardliners alienated by Bouteflika’s consolidation and reconciliation program. But in 2009, she faced little trouble: The other major opposition parties boycotted — notably the FFS and RCD — and the “Islamist” candidates were little known or unpopular. The “nationalist’ candidates suffered obscurity or a lack of credibility. In a race where all the participants were seen as legitimizing a fraudulent process, Hanoune was in a better place among urban voters than her opponents and, because of her previous run, she was probably more recognizable elsewhere. Continue reading
