Movement for Democracy in Algeria

The Movement for Democracy in Algeria (French: Mouvement pour la démocratie en Algérie, Arabic: الحركة من أجل الديمقراطية في الجزائر), also known by its acronym MDA, was a political party in Algeria that participated in the country's early multiparty era in the 1990s. After decades of one-party rule, the MDA—founded by former Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella—was formally legalized and included in national discussions about political reform, democracy, and reconciliation during the Algerian Civil War. In 1997, a court ruling dissolved the party.

Movement for Democracy in Algeria الحركة من أجل الديموقراطية في الجزائر Mouvement pour la démocratie en Algérie
Founder	Ahmed Ben Bella
Founded	28 April 1982
Legalised	1990
Banned	10 June 1997
Ideology	Moderate Islamism Islamic Socialism Progressivism Arab nationalism Algerian nationalism Pan-Maghrebism Anti-Zionism
Political position	Left-wing
Religion	Sunni Islam
Politics of Algeria Political parties Elections

History

Origins and Foundation

Ahmed Ben Bella founded the MDA on 28 April 1982, but its initial organizational activity occurred while Ben Bella was living in exile in Europe. Official records date the party's founding to 1982, although some accounts place it in Switzerland in 1984.

Prior to being overthrown in a coup headed by Colonel Houari Boumédiène, Ahmed Ben Bella was a key player in Algeria's struggle for independence and the country's first president from 1963 to 1965. Ben Bella used his connections overseas to create the MDA as a vehicle for political change following years of imprisonment and subsequent exile.

Legalization and Early Political Activity

The MDA was made legal in 1990 following Algeria's 1989 adoption of a new constitution that permitted multiparty governance. A number of opposition parties arose to contest the National Liberation Front's (FLN) hegemony at the time of this legalization. In the recently created political arena, the MDA aimed to portray itself as a positive alternative that supported democratic freedoms, pluralism, and constitutional reform.

1991 Parliamentary Elections

The party participated in Algeria's first multiparty legislative elections in 1991. Rising Islamist parties dominated these elections, and the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) emerged victorious, prompting the military to step in and call off further voting rounds. The MDA's comparatively small popular base in comparison to the FLN and Islamist movements is reflected in its failure to garner substantial support during these elections.

Algerian Civil War and Sant’Egidio Platform

After the 1991 election results were declared void, Algeria entered a civil war in the mid-1990s. The MDA took part in larger opposition initiatives aiming for peace and political communication amid violence between government forces and different Islamist insurgent groups. The party signed the Rome (Sant'Egidio) Platform in 1995, an agreement mediated by the Italian Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio that united civil society leaders and opposition parties to demand a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Dissolution

On 10 June 1997, a court in Algiers dissolved the MDA for not meeting the legal requirements for political parties. The increasing limits on political activity during the ongoing civil war, along with the party’s low electoral support, led to its legal end.

Ideology and Platform

The Movement for Democracy in Algeria was mainly aligned with the left to moderate Islamist spectrum. The party’s main ideas included:

• Moderate Islamism: Supporting a political role for Islam that fits with democratic principles.

• Islamic Socialism: Combining social justice principles based on Islamic values with progressive economic ideas.

• Progressivism: Encouraging constitutional freedoms, civil rights, and political diversity.

• Arab and Algerian Nationalism: Highlighting Algeria’s national identity within larger Arab and regional contexts.

• Pan-Maghrebism and Anti-Zionism: Backing regional cooperation in the Maghreb and opposing foreign policies viewed as harmful to regional interests.

The MDA clearly rejected the military’s involvement in politics. It aimed for a separation of powers through a constituent assembly and updates to the constitution. At times, the party called for allowing other banned parties and opposed the use of military courts during emergency rule.

Leadership

Ahmed Ben Bella

Ahmed Ben Bella (1916, 2012) was the founder and main leader of the Movement for Democracy in Algeria. He fought in the Algerian War of Independence and was imprisoned during the conflict. After Algeria gained independence in 1962, he became the country's first president. He was overthrown in 1965 and spent many years in detention and later in exile. He returned to Algeria in 1990 when multiparty politics resumed. Ben Bella’s leadership of the MDA focused on bringing together moderate Islamic values and democratic governance.

Other party officials and people linked to MDA leadership are not as well documented. However, the party’s identity stayed closely connected to Ben Bella’s personal legacy and political standing.

Electoral Performance

1991 Parliamentary Elections

The MDA participated in the 1991 national elections, but the FLN's continued dominance and the rise of Islamist parties prevented it from gaining substantial representation. The party's small base and the divisive political climate of early 1990s Algeria were both brought to light by this limited electoral impact.

Relations with Other Political Forces

Throughout its existence, the MDA engaged with various political currents in Algeria:

• During the pre-civil war era, the party aimed to serve as a counterbalance to both the FLN's established dominance and the growing strength of the FIS.
• MDA participated in cross-ideological initiatives to advance communication and peace in the face of violence as a signatory to the Rome/Sant'Egidio Platform.

Despite these interactions, the party's progressive nationalism and moderate Islamist stance made it less appealing to larger political movements and Islamist organizations.

See also

• Ahmed Ben Bella
• Algerian Civil War
• Political parties in Algeria
• Sant’Egidio Platform