The European Union observer mission Saturday declared Algeria’s elections an important step toward reform in the country, but stopped short of calling the poll - which was dominated by the ruling FLN party - as free or fair.
In Algeria, President Bouteflika is hoping that parliamentary elections will satisfy calls for change, but many voters still feel left out of the political process. In Tunisia, numbers are down at an annual Jewish festival because of security concerns, but hundreds brave the risks anyway. Finally, rural Moroccan craftswomen get a chance to show off their wares at a fashion show with a difference.
Algeria's ruling National Liberation Front swept up 220 of the 462 parliamentary seats in the country's general election, according to official results released Friday. Its sister party RND came in second and an Islamist alliance a distant third.
Algerians voted on Thursday in the first parliamentary elections since last year's Arab Spring revolutions, with turnout expected to be slightly higher than 2007's record low of 35 percent. Officials said they received complaints of irregularities.
Ask Algerians about their parliamentary elections and they’ll talk about "le pouvoir", the murky military-backed clans that pull the strings of power. François Picard’s panel weighs in on why elections may not matter just yet in an oil and gas-rich nation wary of Arab Spring protests against inequality.
Ask Algerians about their parliamentary elections and they’ll talk about "le pouvoir", the murky military-backed clans that pull the strings of power. François Picard’s panel weighs in on why elections may not matter just yet in an oil and gas-rich nation wary of Arab Spring protests against inequality.
Algerians are voting in the first parliamentary elections since last year's revolutions in neighbouring countries shook the Arab world to its core. The stakes are high amid fears of a low voter turnout and the prospect of Islamist gains.
Thousands bid goodbye to the “father of Algeria”, former President Ahmed Ben Bella, who died aged 95. Next, Tunisia's President makes a symbolic gesture to the Jewish community, paying homage for the first time to victims of a terrorist attack on a synagogue 10 years ago. In Mali, those escaping instability find harsh conditions in drought-stricken neighbouring countries. Finally, some feel Morocco's new Islamic leaders are infringing on artists' creative expression.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika fired the managing director of state energy giant Sonatrach Thursday, naming another senior official at the firm to the post. Sonatrach accounts for 98 percent of oil-rich Algeria’s foreign exchange earnings.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika vowed to make legislative and constitutional reforms to "reinforce representative democracy" in a speech on state TV Friday, saying the reforms would be adopted before May 2012 elections.
