Algerian polls

The lopsided re-election victory of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria recently is, above all, a sign that the Algerians desperately long for an end to more than a decade of civil violence. Since taking office in 1999 in elections largely engineered by the military, Bouteflika has managed to restore a measure of peace and normalcy. With so much attention focused these days on the Arab world’s democratic deficit, it would make good sense for the US and the EU to support him. With 83.5 per cent vote and a thumbs-up from international monitors, a large majority chose Bouteflika. Algeria’s downward slide dates from the decision of the military-backed government to cancel elections in 1992. The Islamist militants rose up, leading to years of terror until Bouteflika was put in charge. Violence has not entirely stopped, but some prominent leaders supported him.

Algeria needs to be more receptive to private investment, and would be wise to diversify its oil-dependent economy. Such notions as an independent judiciary and a free press are still deemed somewhat alien in a country with a heavily authoritarian tradition. But with a strong mandate, and those helpfully high oil prices that have filled the coffers, Bouteflika has a golden opportunity to reform the nation’s economy and to ensure that long-promised democracy takes root. —The New York Times