2005 Algerian national reconciliation referendum

none Algeria 29 September 2005 Do you agree with the draft Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation that has been proposed to you? 14,057,371 377,748 171,231 18,313,594 A national reconciliation referendum was held in Algeria on 29 September 2005. The referendum was held to vote on adopting the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation which had been drawn up to try to bring closure to the Algerian Civil War. The official results showed an overwhelming vote in favour amid a high turnout. Background The Algerian Civil War, which had begun in 1991 after the military cancelled the 1991 National Assembly elections to prevent Islamists from winning, had led to at least 150,000 people dying by 2005. Since the late 1990s violence had been declining and the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika began drawing up plans for an amnesty for both members of the military and Islamists. William Wallis Algeria plans amnesty to end 13-year civil war Financial Times 7 2005-03-31 The Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation that was produced would offer an amnesty to anyone who had taken part in the civil war unless they had taken part in rapes, mass murders or public bombings. Richard Beeston Poll aims to heal civil war wounds The Times 43 2005-09-30 The charter removed any blame to the state for the events of the civil war and prevented any leaders of the Islamist rebels from re-entering politics in Algeria. William Wallis Algerians set to vote Yes to civil war amnesty Financial Times 9 2005-09-29 It also provided for compensation to be given to the families of the dead and those who disappeared during the civil war. Referendum question The question voted on in the referendum was: Are you for or against the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation project that the government has proposed? http://www.iemed.org/anuari/2006/aarticles/aBustos.pdf The Algerian National Reconciliation Referendum of 2005 2009-04-22 Institut Europeu de la Mediterrània Campaign President Bouteflika personally led the campaign in favour of the charter and for several weeks before the referendum he travelled across Algeria to campaign for a yes vote. Rory McCarthy Algerian referendum: President proposes amnesty for those responsible for 150,000 deaths: After a long and dirty war, victims offered compensation but not justice The Guardian 15 2005-09-29 The government said that there was no alternative to the charter and used the slogan "From concord to national reconciliation. For Algeria". Public enthusiasm for the charter was not much evident during the campaign but there was support as people saw the referendum as a chance to bring the long conflict to a conclusion. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4292206.stm 'We want tomorrow to be better' 2009-05-12 2005-09-28 BBC Online Opponents, including some opposition parties, said that the charter would prevent people from obtaining justice as it would not hold those who committed crimes accountable for them. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EFD81330F932A35753C1A9639C8B63 Algerian Voters Said to Approve President's Postwar Plan 2009-05-12 2005-10-01 The New York Times Michael Slackman There was a call for a boycott and opponents described it as just giving more legitimacy to the government and president. However no opposition groups were allowed to get their point of view on national television or radio stations during the campaign. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4290826.stm Q&A: Algerian referendum 2009-05-12 2005-09-29 BBC Online On the day of the referendum there was violence in the eastern regions of Algeria and particularly Kabylie province where turnout was much lower than in the rest of the country. Algerian voters back amnesty for rebels The Irish Times 10 2005-10-01 Turnout varied widely with Tizi Ouzou Province seeing a turnout of only a little over 11%, while in Khenchela official figures showed a 99.95% turnout. https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-09-30-algeria-vote_x.htm Algerian voters OK plan to end Islamic insurgency 2009-05-12 2005-09-30 USA Today Results The government described the official results as having given "real backing for the president's project". William Wallis Algeria claims overwhelming Yes vote in referendum Financial Times 9 2005-10-01 However critics, such as human rights groups, said that the official turnout figures were completely overstated, with polling stations in and around Algiers seeing little evidence of a large turnout. 14054164 381127 171507 18313594 IFES Election Guide References Algeria Category:Referendums in Algeria Category:Aftermath of the Algerian Civil War National Algeria