The Forces of the Democratic Alternative ( or (FPAD), agdudan,

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: العقد السياسي لقوى البديل الديمقراطي; also: ''Democratic Alternative Forces Pact'', ''Forces of the Pact of the Democratic Alternative'') or FDA is a wide alliance of political parties and citizens' groups in Algeria .It was created in mid 2019 during the

2019 Algerian protests The 2019–2021 Algerian protests, also called Revolution of Smiles or Hirak (), began on 16 February 2019, six days after Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his candidacy for a fifth presidential term in a signed statement. These protests, without ...

, with the aim of organising a

constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

for a new political system with an independent

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

and a transitionary period to democracy.

Creation

The Forces of the Democratic Alternative alliance was created in a meeting in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

on 26 June 2019 during the

, among several political parties and prominent individuals. On 27 August, the FDA was forced by Algerian authorities to cancel a meeting it had planned for 28 August. The authorities did not explain why the meeting was forbidden. A formal convention between the participants was signed at a national meeting soon after, on 9 September 2019.

Members

As of its 9 September 2019 meeting, the FDA included the

Socialist Forces Front The Socialist Forces Front (; ) is a social democratic and secularist political party, mainly supported by Berbers in Algeria. The FFS is a member of the Socialist International and the Progressive Alliance. It led an unsuccessful rebellion agai ...

(FFS), the

Rally for Culture and Democracy Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Political demonstration A political demonstration is an action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause or people partaking in a protest against ...

(RCD), the

Workers' Party Workers' Party is a name used by several political parties throughout the world. The name has been used by both organisations on the left and right of the political spectrum. It is currently used by followers of Marxism, Marxism–Leninism, Maoism ...

(PT), the Socialist Workers Party (PST), the Union for Change and Progress (UPC), the Democratic and Social Movement (MDS), the

Party for Secularism and Democracy A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

(PLD) and the (LADDH).

Aims

The FDA aims to organise a

for a new political system in Algeria with an independent

and a transitionary period to democracy. It opposes the 12 December presidential election. Its call for a boycott was joined by other groups, including the Party of Liberty and Justice led by Mohamed Saïd and by the

Justice and Development Front The Justice and Development Front, sometimes translated as the Front for Justice and Development (; ), is an Islamist political party in Algeria led by Abdallah Djaballah. Djaballah is the former leader of the Movement for National Reform. The ...

(FJD) led by Abdallah Djaballah. The Dynamiques de la société civile, a coalition of trade unions, citizens' groups and individuals created on 15 June 2019 during ''Hirak'', stated that it would cooperate with the FDA and similar alliances.

Actions

In early January 2020, the FDA proposed a "national democracy meeting" () on 25 January 2020 for all those wishing for a "democratic alternative". The meeting would aim to debate mechanisms and the nature of the political transition and of the procedures of a constituent assembly. The meeting was held on 25 January as planned, apart from a change of venue because the signed agreement to use the ''Safex'' hall was "tacitly" cancelled by the authorities the day before the meeting, with 400 participants from diverse political parties and citizens' associations. The participants agreed on what they saw as the illegitimacy of the 12 December 2019 presidential election and the new president's method of proposing modifications to the Algerian constitution. The organisers promised to hold another meeting to decide on the mechanisms of a "democratic, autonomous" institutional transition, during which "illegitimate institutions" would be dissolved, and to plan the procedures of organising a sovereign constituent assembly.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , title= Création du Pacte de l'Alternative démocratique (PAD) France (Communiqué) , trans-title = , website= L'Avant-Garde , date =2019-09-26 , url = https://www.lavantgarde-algerie.com/article/diaspora/creation-du-pacte-de-lalternative-democratique-pad-france-communique , access-date = 2019-11-03 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191103001521/https://www.lavantgarde-algerie.com/article/diaspora/creation-du-pacte-de-lalternative-democratique-pad-france-communique , archive-date= 2019-11-03 , url-status=live {{cite news , last1 =Lamriben , first1 =Hocine , title= Réunies hier au siège du RCD : Les Forces de l'Alternative démocratique rejettent "l'agenda de la présidentielle" , trans-title = , newspaper =

El Watan (Arabic language, Arabic: الوطن, "The Homeland") is an independent French-language newspaper in Algeria. History and profile The paper was founded in 1990 after Omar Belhouchet and nineteen colleagues left the National Liberation Front ( ...

, date =2019-09-10 , url = https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/reunies-hier-au-siege-du-rcd-les-forces-de-lalternative-democratique-rejettent-lagenda-de-la-presidentielle-10-09-2019 , access-date = 2019-11-03 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191103000314/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/reunies-hier-au-siege-du-rcd-les-forces-de-lalternative-democratique-rejettent-lagenda-de-la-presidentielle-10-09-2019 , archive-date= 2019-11-03 , url-status=live {{cite news , last1= Ouarabi , first1=Mokrane Ait , language =fr , title= Présidentielle du 12 décembre : Le front du boycott s'élargit , trans-title = 12 December presidential election: the boycott front widens , date= 2019-09-30 , newspaper=

, url= https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/presidentielle-du-12-decembre-le-front-du-boycott-selargit-30-09-2019 , access-date=2019-11-02 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191102232927/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/presidentielle-du-12-decembre-le-front-du-boycott-selargit-30-09-2019 , archive-date= 2019-11-02 , url-status=live {{cite web , title= Algeria: Tightening the Screws on Protests , trans-title = , website=

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

, date = 2019-09-09 , url = https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/09/algeria-tightening-screws-protests , access-date = 2019-11-03 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191103000726/https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/09/algeria-tightening-screws-protests , archive-date= 2019-11-03 , url-status=live {{cite news , last1= Ouarabi , first1= Mokrane Ait , language =fr , title= PLD : "Cette présidentielle ne garantit pas le départ du système" , trans-title = This presidential election doesn't guarantee that the removal of the system , date= 2019-11-04 , newspaper=

, url= https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/pld-cette-presidentielle-ne-garantit-pas-le-depart-du-systeme-04-11-2019 , access-date=2019-11-05 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191105020905/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/pld-cette-presidentielle-ne-garantit-pas-le-depart-du-systeme-04-11-2019 , archive-date= 2019-11-05 , url-status=live {{cite news , last1= Rafa , first1= Amir , language =fr , title= Rencontre des dynamiques de la société civile samedi , trans-title = Saturday meeting of the Dynamiques de la société civile , date= 2019-08-13 , newspaper= Liberté , url= https://www.liberte-algerie.com/actualite/rencontre-des-dynamiques-de-la-societe-civile-samedi-321734 , access-date=2019-12-15 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215221225/https://www.liberte-algerie.com/actualite/rencontre-des-dynamiques-de-la-societe-civile-samedi-321734 , archive-date= 2019-12-15 , url-status=live {{cite news , last1= Iddir , first1= Nadir , language =fr , title= Dynamiques de la société civile : Cap sur la conférence nationale , trans-title = Dynamiques de la société civile: towards a national meeting , date= 2019-11-17 , newspaper=

, url= https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/dynamiques-de-la-societe-civile-cap-sur-la-conference-nationale-17-11-2019 , access-date=2019-12-15 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191215220523/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/dynamiques-de-la-societe-civile-cap-sur-la-conference-nationale-17-11-2019 , archive-date= 2019-12-15 , url-status=live {{cite news , last1= Amir , first1= Nabila , language = fr, title= Les forces du PAD appellent à une riposte politique : Des assises nationales de la démocratie le 25 janvier , trans-title = The PAD forces call for a political response: a national democracy meeting on 25 January , date= 2020-01-07 , newspaper=

, url= https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/les-forces-du-pad-appellent-a-une-riposte-politique-des-assises-nationales-de-la-democratie-le-25-janvier-07-01-2020 , access-date=2020-01-08 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200108001630/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/les-forces-du-pad-appellent-a-une-riposte-politique-des-assises-nationales-de-la-democratie-le-25-janvier-07-01-2020 , archive-date= 2020-01-08 , url-status=live {{cite news , last1=Ouali , first1=Hacen , language=fr , title=Le mouvement a tenu ses assises hier à Alger : Le PAD tient à "la transition démocratique" , trans-title=The movement held its meeting yesterday in Algiers: PAD insists on a 'democratic transition' , date=2020-01-26 , newspaper=

, url=https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/le-mouvement-a-tenu-ses-assises-hier-a-alger-le-pad-tient-a-la-transition-democratique-26-01-2020 , access-date=2020-01-27 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20200127213907/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/le-mouvement-a-tenu-ses-assises-hier-a-alger-le-pad-tient-a-la-transition-democratique-26-01-2020 , archive-date=27 January 2020 , url-status=live , url-access= {{cite news , last1=Aichoun , first1=Abdelghani , language = fr, title=L'appel au dialogue face au retour à la répression et le maintien des entraves à l'exercice politique : Les incohérences d'une démarche politique , trans-title = Calling for dialogue while repressing and obstructing political activity: the inconsistency of a political approach , date= 2020-01-26 , newspaper=

, url=https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/les-incoherences-dune-demarche-politique-26-01-2020 , access-date=2020-01-27 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20200127222215/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/les-incoherences-dune-demarche-politique-26-01-2020 , archive-date= 2020-01-27 , url-status=live , url-access = {{cite news , language = fr, title=Youcef Tazibt. Dirigeant du Parti des travailleurs (PT) : "Le départ des symboles du régime ne signifie absolument pas le changement" , trans-title = Youcef Tazibt. Head of the Workers' Party (PT): 'The departure of icons of the regime does not at all mean that anything has changed' , date= 2020-01-27 , newspaper=

, url=https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/youcef-tazibt-dirigeant-du-parti-des-travailleurs-pt-le-depart-des-symboles-du-regime-ne-signifie-absolument-pas-le-changement-27-01-2020 , access-date=2020-01-27 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20200127220142/https://www.elwatan.com/edition/actualite/youcef-tazibt-dirigeant-du-parti-des-travailleurs-pt-le-depart-des-symboles-du-regime-ne-signifie-absolument-pas-le-changement-27-01-2020 , archive-date= 2020-01-27 , url-status=live , url-access =

Creation

Members

Aims

Actions

References

See also