Algeria’s Islamists in a shaky union with Tebboune

The Muslim Brotherhood tries to use the state of political unrest in Algeria now in order to serve its own interests.

Sometimes the Islamist movement takes sides with the demonstrators filling the streets of Algiers. Other times, it declares support for President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Some people have been accusing the Algerian president of backing the Brotherhood. He, however, refuted these accusations by saying that his country’s fledgling democracy cannot accommodate Islamist parties.

Islamists and presidential elections

The Movement of Society for Peace said it would not participate in the last presidential elections. Nevertheless, the movement did not ask its followers to boycott the vote. In this, the movement followed in the footsteps of Ennahda movement in neighboring Tunisia.

However, the movement declared support for Tebboune’s reformist program when he was announced the new president of Algeria. This was why many of the demonstrators on the streets accused the movement of treachery, especially with the demonstrators believing that the elections would reproduce the regime of ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Another Islamist movement, namely al-Binaa al-Watani, did the same. The movement fielded a candidate in the presidential elections. Nonetheless, this candidate said after his defeat that he would be ready to participate in the new Algerian government.

Meanwhile, major Islamist parties called for boycotting the elections. This is why their relations with Tebboune are far from good.

Using the demonstrations

The Islamists tried to use the demonstrations happening now in Algeria from the very beginning to return to the Algerian political stage.

The Islamists did not participate in the anti- Bouteflika protests that erupted in April last year. However, Algeria’s Muslim Brotherhood joined in the protests under pressure from the demonstrators. It did this in an attempt to return to the political stage, seven years after it pulled out of the coalition with Bouteflika.