ALGIERS – Algeria has promised to end a 19-year-old state of emergency and provide more political freedoms, concessions designed to prevent a wave of uprisings sweeping the Arab world.
The announcement by the energy exporting nation yesterday followed pressure from government opponents, some inspired by unrest in Egypt and Tunisia, who demanded the emergency powers be scrapped. They are planning a protest in the capital on February 12th.
The government had argued it needed the extra powers under the state of emergency to fight Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda. But the insurgency has abated, sparking public debate about whether those powers are still justified.
The lifting of the state of emergency will happen “in the very near future”, Algeria’s official APS news agency quoted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as telling ministers.
Mr Bouteflika said the government should adopt new measures to promote job creation, a nod to the problem of unemployment, which is particularly acute among young Algerians and helped trigger the uprising in Tunisia.
The Algerian president also instructed that national television and radio stations – which are controlled by the state and broadcast almost no voices of dissent – must give airtime to all political parties.
“It is a step in the right direction,” political analyst Mohamed Lagab said of the proposed changes. “ shows that Bouteflika has understood how fragile the situation is.”
However, Mr Bouteflika made clear there would be a limit to the new political freedoms. Restrictions on marches in the capital will stay in force even after the lifting of the state of emergency, he said.
And he issued a warning to opposition groups. “Freedom should not end in a situation where you have things sliding out of control or anarchy, which have already cost Algeria dear,” he said.
Algeria is still emerging from almost 20 years of armed conflict between Islamist insurgents and security forces which, according to independent estimates, killed about 200,000 people.
The Algerian authorities have already made some concessions in the past few weeks to keep a lid on unrest.
Early in January, before the wave of protests in other Arab countries, several Algerian cities were shaken by rioting over food prices which killed two people and injured hundreds.
Since then, the government intervened to cut prices on staple foodstuffs and issued instructions to speed up imports of wheat, in an effort to ensure there was no disruption to bread supplies which could rekindle riots.
Some analysts say that Algeria is different from Egypt and Tunisia because its huge revenues from oil and gas exports allow it to satisfy many of its citizens’ economic grievances, especially at a time when oil prices are above $100 a barrel.
Asked for his reaction to Mr Bouteflika’s offer of greater political freedom, Ahmed Aidoud, an unemployed 25-year-old man said: “I don’t care about politics and politicians. I need a job and a house.”