1988 October Riots

There are two dominant narratives surrounding the reasons for the October 1988 riots: The first, and most prominent argument among Western journalists is that the riots stemmed from recent economic troubles in Algeria. The rising prices, the high rate of unemployment among youth, and austerity measures announced by the government fed the desire to express their discontent. Between 1985 and 1987, the unemployment rate increased rapidly from 658,000 to 1,200,000 while the unemployment rate was anticipated to reach 31.7% of the population by the year 2000. Coupled with the demographic changes due to the high fertility rate since Algeria's independence, there was a significant subsection of the population between the ages of 0-14, accounting for 44.35% of the population in 1988. In light of the continuous reduction in fuel prices, a significant source of income for the country, it is evident how the link between an economic downturn and the outburst of protests is formed. With no evident sign of economic progress in sight, the youth, most of them from low-income neighborhoods, took to the streets to advocate for their basic human right—an equal chance to succeed in life. However, this analysis falls short in light of the "lack of economic grievances" from the rioters. There were no official declarations made concerning their economic objectives. Despite President Chadli's speech on 10 October in which he announced the government's plan to proceed with the widely unpopular austerity measures, and price reductions for necessities, the riots came to a halt that evening. == Events ==

The targets of the anarchic protests included shops, offices, official vehicles, and buildings – which were set on fire – Air Algérie agencies, buses, road signs and other symbols of the state, any automobile that looked expensive, and the expensive Riad al Fath shopping mall on the heights overlooking the capital. The state of emergency was decreed on 6 October and a curfew was established that ran from midnight to six o'clock in the morning (starting on 8 October the curfew was not enforced until 8 o'clock at night). In general, the riots were directed at the increasing social despair – to a large extent, the result of oil prices dropping sharply the preceding years – and at the slow pace of economic and political reform. The protests were violently repressed, but set in motion a process of internal power struggles and public criticism. == Aftermath ==

Following the riots, the Bendjedid government promised political reforms with a "greater democratisation of political action" and "political and institutional changes". This referendum had a participation rate of 83.1% with 92.27% of the voters in favor of its revision. In Article 1, Algeria is referred to as a "socialist state" while the 1989 constitution asserts that it is a "democratic and people's republic". Similarly, Chapter 2 which dedicated fifteen articles to explaining the government's commitment to socialism is completely removed. The transition from socialism to democracy is often interpreted as a new openness to pluralism. This analysis is supported by the introduction of Article 42 which states all citizens have the "right to create associations with a political character". ==See also==