After 8 Months on the Streets, Protesters in Algeria Aren’t Giving Up

On paper, being president of Algeria is a job opportunity like few others. You’ll rule over one of Africa’s largest countries. You’ll likely enjoy a long career, aided by some of the continent’s largest hydrocarbon reserves to help you manage your budget. Because of the country’s overly centralized system, you’ll get to appoint everyone, from ministers and judges to several managers of state companies and other institutions. Also, unusual for an era obsessed with youth, the only age discrimination you’ll face in the selection process will tend to favor septuagenarians and over. The job is currently vacant, and, much to the chagrin of Algerians themselves, applications have reopened.

The only catch is that you don’t actually preside over the country. In reality, the position is closer to hotel night manager than head of state: You’ll be in charge of things, but you won’t actually get the final say on most key issues. On paper, Algeria is ruled under a presidential system. But since gaining independence from France in 1962, the country has been run from the shadows by an opaque jumble of army chiefs, secret services officers, and older politicians. Algerians know this assortment of forces as le pouvoir, “the power,” and for the past six decades they have been subjected to its violent whims, its internal power grabs, and its complete lack of accountability.