The Algerian diaspora was supposed to vote this past weekend. But in Western nations, Algerian diplomatic missions used by the military command to force an election, have faced unprecedented backlash. In Paris, the consulate general has been under pressure since Saturday, the first voting day of the Algerian community in France. Diaspora voting in France (or lack of it), happened with substantial police presence, with French agents deployed in front of the consular building, near Place de la Nation.
The surrounding streets, which lead to the brand new building, were closed by the police who filter access of residents and passersby. Only Algerians with a voting card are allowed through the security cordon and enter the building. The consulate has become a fortified bunker.
Opposite, at the Rue Charonne, Algerian anti-regime protesters used shame against the handful of voters to prevent them from voting. According to an El-Watan newspaper report, the few voters were forced to hide their faces to enter the consulate. El Watan counted a maximum of ten voter every hour, and even assuming a 10-hour voting period, no more than 100 people ended up taking part to the election, while millions of Algerians live in France.
On Saturday, the Consulate General was forced to postpone for one hour the opening of the polling station, due to lack of voters. But protesters showed up even earlier, carrying Algerian and Amazigh flags, holding portraits of political prisoners and war heroes. They chanted slogans hostile to the Algerian regime.
The following day, Sunday, journalists of French magazine L’Express reported that in front of the Algerian consulate, the few voters who showed up were escorted one by one by the police. Many had their heads hidden. Vans were placed in front of the entrance of the building so that voters are not seen and photographed.
In San Francisco, where there are over 3,000 Algerians living there, the Algerian authorities mobilized five consular employees, two security agents, aided with two police officers, but only 14 people voted, a 0.4% turnout. Lack of voters forced the office to shut down at 4 PM, instead of 8 PM, according to Riad Kaced (Twitter: @riadkaced). In London, @Cben37285356 reports that 41 people of the 35,000 registered to vote showed up to vote, equivalent to 0.11% turnout.
If Paris, London and San Francisco are any indication of voter turnout, the Algerian election will be a disaster for the regime and its supporters in the French and UAE governments.
In Algeria, the protest movement is intensifying despite repression using its most severe forms and violence. Unconfirmed reports say workers in the Hassi-R’mel region, home of the country’s main gas production, joined the general strike called against the election. Workers have reportedly staged a sit-in this morning in Hassi R’mel after a call for a four-day general strike was launched throughout the country. The information has not been confirmed yet, but businesses have been progressively closing in protest against the election, and we should anticipate more closures over the coming days.
