Algeria after the polls

The progovernment National Democratic Rally (NDR) in Algeria gained 155 seats in the 380-seat assembly in Thursday's general election. The "decisive response by the Algerian people", as the party leaders called their win, will hopefully bring the country into a new era and end the chaos, which was marked by five years of bloodshed. The new era will hopefully pave the way for economic and political developments .

The Algerian government should be praised for the election success, especially the NDR, a party which was only set up two months ago but managed to score such a great success. It is a new phenomenon in the developing world. If only Algeria could inspire other countries to repeat the miracle.

However, how far the victory takes the Algerians on their long cherished dreams remains to be seen. It is quite difficult here to predict how President Liamine Zeroual's government will pass the postelection period because the only reports received are from Western news agencies, which need to be balanced.

This aside, all media reports have stated that many political contestants had accused the military-backed government of rigging the polls. Most also said they would lodge protests against the poll results announced by the government. Some have declared that they would not recognize the results.

There were more than 100 international monitors observing the election but, the reports said, their ability to do the job was very much influenced by the security officers who followed them everywhere. That is why genuine reports from the monitors are badly needed in order to get reliable information about what really happened.

The Algerian crisis is quite unique among developing countries since it started after the National Liberation Front (FLN) regime, which had ruled the country for almost three decades, arbitrarily cancelled the results of the 1992 democratic election, which the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) was about to win. Frustrated by the regime, which had failed to introduce an effective economic development program, the Moslems waged guerrilla warfare, in which 60,000 have perished.

The Algerian government needs not be shocked by the emergence of the postelection protests because they have been a common phenomenon in some developing countries, which are still learning about democracy.

Such protests could end in chaos if the angry opposition parties manage to prove the claims they have made and are strong enough to force the regime to admit the wrongdoings. But if not, the government can continue its journey safely until the parties are forced to accept the new reality. Wise regimes have also tried to silence protests by showing their ability to modernize the country's economy.

If the Zeroual government manages to pass the postelection crisis, it will have to embark on vigorous economic and political development programs. But an important part of this is to silence the guerrillas' guns because without peace any program would crumble. And it is not an easy job since the banner of vengeance has been wielded by many parties there.

Pushing Moslems further into a corner would not solve the core of the Algerian problem, if indeed it did not backfire. It needs effective tact to push them to accept the new reality because the Moslems still believe that their rights have been taken by the regime.

Last but not least, the end of guerrilla warfare in Algeria will also benefit the Moslem world because the bloody activities have long tarnished the good image of the whole Moslem world and Islam as a way of life. Indonesia is luckier to have not seen such prolonged bloody protests.