The Democratic and Social Movement (; , MDS) is a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

that was founded in 1966.

History

The party was founded in 1966 as the Socialist Vanguard Party (French: , PAGS) by Bachir Hadj Ali. Although not legally recognized, it persisted as a political opposition party throughout the one-party period in Algeria. As an outgrowth of the Algerian Communist Party ( Parti Communiste Algérien), which disappeared soon after Algerian independence, the PAGS has consistently opposed the government, offering sharp criticism of all political leaders and most of their programs. Its members, referred to as ''"Pagsistes"'', had infiltrated almost every legally recognized mass association despite their unofficial status. The Pagsistes were especially prominent in such organizations as the UNJA and

General Union of Algerian Workers The General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA; , ) is the main Algerian trade union, established February 24, 1956 with the objective of mobilizing Algerian labour against French colonial and capitalist interests. It was banned shortly afterwards, i ...

(UGTA) encouraging leftist tendencies. The PAGS coalition relationship with the regime ended when

Chadli Bendjedid Chadli Bendjedid (; ALA-LC: ''ash-Shādhilī bin Jadīd''; 14 April 1929 – 6 October 2012) was an Algerian military officer and politician who served as the third President of Algeria. His presidential term of office ran from 9 February 1979 ...

came to power, who sought to purge pagistes from positions of power within the state-party apparatus, and moved toward

economic liberalization Economic liberalization, or economic liberalisation, is the lessening of government regulations and restrictions in an economy in exchange for greater participation by private entities. In politics, the doctrine is associated with classical liber ...

. The party was legalized in 1989. In 1993, PAGS was reconstructed as Ettehadi by El Hachemi Chérif. A group who wanted to retain the communist legacy of the party broke away and formed the Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism. During the

Algerian Civil War The Algerian Civil War (), known in Algeria as the Black Decade (, ), was a civil war fought between the Algerian government and various Islamist rebel groups from 11 January 1992 (following a 1992 Algerian coup d'état, coup negating an Islami ...

, Ettehadi strongly opposed the Islamists and supported the banning of

Islamic Salvation Front The Islamic Salvation Front (; , FIS) was an Islamist political party in Algeria. The party had two major leaders representing its two bases of its support; Abbassi Madani appealed to pious small businessmen, and Ali Belhadj appealed to the a ...

, (FIS). In 1999, Ettehadi was reconstructed as the Democratic and Social Movement (''Mouvement Démocratique et Social''). In the 17 May 2007

People's National Assembly The People's National Assembly (; abbreviated APN) is the lower house of the Algerian Parliament. It is composed of 407 members directly elected by the population. Of the 407 seats, 8 are reserved for Algerians living abroad. Members of the Peo ...

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

, the MDS won 0.89% of the vote and 1 out of 389 seats. On 9 January 2022, MDS's national co-ordinator, Fethi Ghares, was given a two-year prison sentence and a 200, 000 DA fine for "undermining national unity", as part of what Human Rights Watch called a wider "assault on fundamental freedoms" by the Algerian government.

Regional strength

In the Algerian legislative election, 2007, support for the MDS was higher than its national average (0.89%) in the following provinces: *

Mascara Province Mascara ( ', ') is a province (''wilaya'') in Algeria. It was named after its capital, whose name is Arabic for "military garrison". It is unsure whether the place is related to "mascara", the cosmetic. Another important locality is the town o ...

6.73% *

Tissemsilt Province Tissemsilt () is the 38th provinces of Algeria, province of Algeria with the capital being Tissemsilt. Théniet El Haâd National Park is located there. History The province was created from parts of Alger Province and Tiaret Province in 1984. ...

3.89% *

Béjaïa Province The Béjaïa Province (Kabyle language, Kabyle: ''Tawilayt n Bgayet''; , Latn, ar, Wilāyat Bijāyah; or ) is a provinces of Algeria, province of Algeria in the Kabylie region. With a population of 984,050 inhabitants in 2019, with a density o ...

3.55% *

Béchar Province Béchar () is a Provinces of Algeria, province ''(Wilayah, wilaya)'' in Algeria, located on the border with Morocco in the Algerian Desert, Algerian Sahara. It is the second least-densely populated province in Algeria, with a population of 353591 ...

2.66% *

Saïda Province Saïda () is a province ('' wilaya'') of Algeria, named after its capital. History The province was created from parts of Oran department, Saïda province and Saoura province in 1974. In 1984 El Bayadh Province and Naama Province were c ...

2.42% *

Tébessa Province Tébessa () is a provinces of Algeria, province (''wilayah'') of Algeria. Tébessa is also the name of the capital, which in ancient times it was known as ''Theveste''. Another important city is El Ouenza. Tébessa is located only 20 kilometers w ...

2.19% *

Mila Province Mila (, ) is a province (''wilayah'') of Algeria, whose capital is Mila. Other localities include Teleghma, Grarem Gouga, Hamala and Rouached. History The province was created from parts of Constantine Province, Jijel Province, Oum el Boua ...

2.16% *

Relizane Province Relizane () is a province ('' wilaya'') of Algeria. Relizane is the capital. Other localities include Bendaoud, Bouzegza, Hamri, Kalaa, Mazouna and Zemmoura. The Wilaya of Relizane massacres of 4 January 1998 happened in Relizane. Histo ...

2.13% *

Chlef Province Chlef (, Berber: ⴰⴳⴻⵣⴷⵓ ⵏ ⵛⵍⴻⴼ) (formerly known as El Asnam) is a province (''wilaya'') in Algeria. Its capital and biggest city is Chlef. It is the 8th most populous province in the country, having 1.356.151 inhabitants (20 ...

2.06% *

Sidi Bel Abbès Province Sidi Bel Abbès () is one of the provinces ('' wilayas'') of Algeria. Its name is derived from the name of its capital, the city of Sidi Bel Abbès. It is situated in the northwestern part of the country. History The province was created from ...

1.81% *

Tlemcen Province Tlemcen () is a province ('' wilaya'') in northwestern Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast ...

1.43% *

Souk Ahras Province Souk Ahras () is a provinces of Algeria, province (''wilaya'') in the Aures region in Algeria, named after its capital, Souk Ahras. It stands on the border between Algeria and Tunisia. In 2008, Souk Ahras had a population of 440,299 people. Geo ...

1.39% *

Boumerdès Province Boumerdès (, Kabyle language, Kabyle: Tanebḍit n Bumerdas) is a provinces of Algeria, province (''wilaya'') of northern Algeria, located in the Kabylia region, between Algiers and Tizi-Ouzou, with its capital at the coastal city of Boumerdès ...

1.35% *

Skikda Province Skikda () is a provinces of Algeria, province (''wilaya'') of Algeria, on its eastern Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastline, with 1.095.666 inhabitants in 2019, With a natural annual growth rate estimated at 1.22%. Geography The Skikda Pr ...

1.23% *

Annaba Province Annaba () is a province ('' wilaya'') in the north-eastern corner of Algeria. Its capital, Annaba, is Algeria's main port for mineral exports. History In 1984 El Taref Province was carved out from its territory. Administrative divisions The ...

1.13%

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Democratic and Social Movement (Algeria) 1966 establishments in Algeria Political parties established in 1966 Political parties in Algeria Socialist parties in Algeria