LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Algeria: Elections
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A new feature of US-Algerian relations in the late 1990s was the involvement of private NGOs in Algeria. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International tried to monitor the situation and call attention to human rights abuses. The National Democratic Institute tried to encourage democratisation by engaging with independent Algerian journalists and members of the National Assembly after the 1997 elections. These modest steps did not bring significant change, but they broadened US involvement with Algeria and kept pressure on the regime to address issues of concern.
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On 15th April 1999, Algeria held elections which were won by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a former foreign minister who has the support of the army. The elections were held amid allegations of fraud – six candidates with drew from the elections in protest. Though "ammnesty" was granted to the FIS in 2000, the civil war continues to this day, while the ethnic minority Berbers are just beginning their struggle for emancipation, and mainstream unions are joining them with frequent general strikes.
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Following the cancellation of general elections which the FIS, a militant Islamic party, had looked certain to win in 1992, Algeria entered a period of acute political crisis and terrorist violence. Francophone intellectuals such as Djaout were among the victims of terrorist murder squads. Others sought refuge abroad, particularly in France.
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After a century of rule by France, Algeria became independent in 1962. The surprising first round success of the fundamentalist FIS (Islamic Salvation Front) party in December 1991 balloting caused the army to intervene, crack down on the FIS, and postpone the subsequent elections. The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 52% of budget revenues, 25% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the fifth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second largest gas exporter; it ranks fourteenth for oil reserves.
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Algeria bleeds to death as atrocity follows atrocity. A conflict between Arabs and Berbers, promoted in part by French intelligence, seems set to explode. The military promises elections but keeps tightening the screws.
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Violence is most widespread in rural areas of western and central Algeria, particularly the regions that voted most widely for the FIS in the 1991 elections. Fearing attacks, tens of thousands of Algerians are fleeing villages for larger cities, which are already crowded beyond acceptable standards.16 Consequently, many villages have been abandoned, while an average of seven persons inhabit a small city apartment.17 Schools in rural areas have closed down, while in the cities fewer parents can afford to educate their children.18 According to one recent report, if these conditions continue, only nine out of every 100 children will finish high school, and only one will reach a university.19
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