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— Some key issues in Algeria's presidential election Thursday, near certain to hand another five-year term to incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
SECURITY
A near civil war killed up-to an estimated 200,000 people in the 1990s after the secular-leaning military canceled legislative elections that Islamists were poised to win. The insurgency has been largely quelled, but the last remaining armed Islamic group officially joined al-Qaida in 2006. Known as al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, it has since killed hundreds of people in suicide bombings and ambushes, mainly security forces or government officials.
ECONOMY
Algeria depends on oil and natural gas for about 30 percent of its gross domestic product, 60 percent of the state budget and more than 95 percent of exports. The economy remains largely state-managed. Apart from the slumping price of hydrocarbons, Algeria has been little affected by the global financial meltdown because it has no stock exchange and few financial ties to the outside world.
Boosting private entrepreneurship and small businesses and diversifying the economy are viewed as the main challenges for the president. Fighting corruption and solving housing shortages are also concerns.
EMPLOYMENT
Though government statistics put unemployment at barely 10 percent, many observers consider that at least one-third of the work force survives on small jobs in the informal economy. The government acknowledges the problem is particularly striking among those under 30, who represent 70 percent of Algeria's population of 34 million. Illegal emigration by frustrated youth is growing.
RECONCILIATION
Bouteflika has made reconciliation between Islamists and secular authorities the cornerstone of his presidency. He passed a Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation by referendum in 2005 that offers widespread pardons to both armed Islamists and security forces. But bitter distrust remains widespread. Rights groups also contend the amnesty measures have offered blanket cover for abuses by security forces. Other challenges include soothing rivalries between the ethnic Berber minority and the Arab majority.
