ALGIERS- Algeria and its institutions found themselves teetering dangerously on the edge during the late summer of 2018. Extra-constitutional forces and a predatory oligarchy had effectively taken the entire state hostage, engaging in intricate maneuvers in anticipation of the April 2019 presidential elections. These shadowy groups were gearing up for the disgraceful prospect of a fifth term for a president who had been conspicuously absent, for reasons widely known.
Over the preceding decade, a clique of businessmen, essentially thieves and highway robbers, had risen to prominence in the business world, closely linked with political power. The situation was clear: political power was serving a predatory oligarchy that had siphoned off tens of billions of dollars. A witch hunt was underway against all honest and patriotic officials who dared to challenge this norm. Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune, for instance, was dismissed in less than 90 days for daring to sever the umbilical cord between money and politics.
As the year drew to a close, there was a concerted effort to announce President Bouteflika’s candidacy for a fifth term. These morally bankrupt predators were poised to turn Algeria into the laughingstock of the world. The silent Algerian streets were questioning the role of dirty money forces, struggling to comprehend the necessity of a fifth term. There was a distinct scent of the end of the Bouteflika era.
Simultaneously, the then highly unpopular Prime Minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, sensing the winds of dissent, preemptively threatened the Algerians: “They will not make the people take to the streets. We will prevent them from controlling the streets or creating anarchy,” warned the arrogant Ouyahia.
On February 9, 2019, just 15 days before February 22, the schemers behind this tragedy drove the point home during the infamous “cachir” meeting that took place in Kouba. They spared no hyperbole, describing this meeting as “one of the greatest political moments in the history of Algeria.” A meeting where the candidacy of a “cadre” for a presidential election was dramatically announced! (To be continued: From the Hirak to the presidential election)
