Algeria's elections: The prelude to democractisation

Faced with a political stalemate which paralysed Algeria's political life when the military intervened to cancel the results of the December 1991 election, the authorities have been searching for a way to return to the democratic process. General Zeroual, appointed President in January 1994, and his collaborators have introduced a series of political reforms aimed at establishing a working democratic system. Algeria and its rulers seem to have learned from the failure of the first democratic transition (1989-92). The creation of a second chamber in the parliament, changing the electoral law and the imposition of restraints on political parties were intended to avoid the mistakes made previously and have the potential of moving the country away from the political crisis it has experienced since January 1992.