By Africa Legal News Political Desk
Voters in two different parts of the world, Algeria in Africa and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Europe went to the polls on the same Thursday in December 2019 in watershed elections. These elections had significant potential impacts on constitutional law and global relations. In Algeria, the vote occurred against the backdrop of widespread protest. In the United Kingdom, the future of the kingdom in Europe was in focus following the never-ending Brexit debate.
Algeria: Vote amidst the storm
Algeria passed through some of its
tumultuous times in 2019. In the begging of the year, long-time President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down amidst protests
at his panned third time run for office.
Over 24 million people were eligible
to vote for the President.
Five candidates were contesting
for the Presidency. The protestors viewed these candidates as part of the
establishment. The candidates included two former prime ministers under,
Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Ali Benflis. The other candidates are Azzedine Mihoubi
(former Minister of Culture), Abdelkader Bengrina (former Minister of Tourism)
and head of the El Moustakbal Front, Abdelaziz Belaïd.
Protestors, including
the most significant Islamic party, were calling for a boycott of the elections
amid concerns that they will be a continuation of the old regime.
The United Kingdom: A Brexit
Election
The election in the United Kingdom
was mostly about Brexit, though there were social issues at play. The UK voted
to leave the European Union. Brexit has since claimed the of two Prime Ministers (David Cameron and
Theresa May).
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was,
however, one of the vital Brexit campaigners. The same can also be said of his
main contestant Jeremy Corbyn. However, Corbyn indicated that he was open for
another referendum.
The election for the 650-seat
House of Commons pitted several parties. These were the ruling Conservatives
led by the incumbent Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Labour Party led by
democratic socialist Jeremy Corbyn, the Liberal Democrats (Jo Swinson), Green
Party of England and Wales (co-led by Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry) and the
Brexit/Reform Party led by Nigel Farage. Other critical political entities are Nicola
Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party which contested in Scotland and Adam Price’s
Plaid Cymru in Wales.
Overview
The two elections may have seemed
like one issue elections (Bouteflika or Brexit). However, there were several simmering
social issues on the ground.
Algeria is one of the top oil and
gas producers in Africa. However, this wealth is not reflected in society, as
several people continue to suffer from poverty and unemployment. The World
Bank reports that as much as 25% of the population live in poverty.
So instead of being single-issue elections,
it is worthwhile to view the two elections holistically; as political events
that have a real effect on the lives of mostly, the poor.
In the UK as well, like the rest
of the Western world, people are awakening and demanding actions on the environment
and climate change. Some of the candidates making climate change their key
issue. Furthermore, the National Health Service and taxation also remained
critical issues.
As we awaited the results, these two were indeed watershed elections, in more ways than one.
The post Algeria and the UK: 2 different States in Watershed Elections for Global Law and Politics appeared first on Africa Legal News.