Algerian demonstrators carry placards reading "This vote will never take place" in French in regards to the Dec. 12 presidential election, during a march in Algiers on Dec. 6, 2019. Algeria's establishment is desperate to hold elections on time; the country's protest movement, by contrast, is desperate to prevent them.
Editor's Note : This assessment is part of a series of analyses supporting Stratfor's 2020 Annual Forecast. These assessments are designed to provide more context and in-depth analysis on key developments over the next quarter and throughout the year. In Algeria, elections are not the same as democracy, at least as far as the country's opposition is concerned. A presidential election has been scheduled Dec. 12 — following two previous delays — despite opposition demands that authorities hold off until they implement deeper reforms following the ouster in April of longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. For one, the elections will test what Algerian activists and the opposition are willing to accept from the interim government in terms of political reform following 10 months of protests.
