Rally for Culture and Democracy

Rally for Culture and Democracy

*Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie* (French)
التجمع من أجل الثقافة والديمقراطية (Arabic)
ⴰⴽⵔⴰⵓ ⵉ ⵉⴷⵍⴻⵙ ⴷ ⵜⵓⴽⴷⵓⵜ (Berber languages)
Rally for Culture and Democracy Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie (French); التجمع من أجل الثقافة والديمقراطية (Arabic); ⴰⴽⵔⴰⵓ ⵉ ⵉⴷⵍⴻⵙ ⴷ ⵜⵓⴽⴷⵓⵜ (Berber languages);
President	Atmane Mazouz [fr]
Founder	Saïd Sadi
Founded	1989; 35 years ago
Split from	Socialist Forces Front
Headquarters	Algiers
Ideology	Liberalism; Social liberalism; Berberism; Algerian nationalism; Secularism;
Political position	Centre to centre-left
National affiliation	Forces of the Democratic Alternative
Colors	Blue, Yellow
Council of the Nation	0 / 144
People's National Assembly	0 / 407
People's Provincial Assemblies	33 / 2,004
Municipalities	37 / 1,540
People's Municipal Assemblies	496 / 24,786
Party flag
Website
	rcd-algerie.net
	Politics of Algeria; Political parties; Elections;

The Rally for Culture and Democracy (Berber languages: ⴰⴽⵔⴰⵓ ⵉ ⵉⴷⵍⴻⵙ ⴷ ⵜⵓⴽⴷⵓⵜ, romanized: Agraw i Yidles d Tugdut; Arabic: التجمع من أجل الثقافة والديمقراطية; French: Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie, RCD) is a political party in Algeria. It promotes secularism (laïcité) and has its principal power base in Kabylia, a major Berber-speaking region. Some consider it to take the position of a liberal party for the Berber-speaking population in Algerian politics.

History and profile

The Rally for Culture and Democracy was founded by Saïd Sadi in 1989.^[3]^[4] He was a presidential candidate in 1995, winning 9.3 percent of the popular vote.

In 1997, the party won 19 of 390 seats. The RCD boycotted the 2002 elections. Saïd Sadi was a candidate again in the 2004 presidential election and won 1.9 percent of the vote. The party participated in the 2007 legislative elections, winning 3.36% of the vote and 19 seats.

On March 9, 2012, during an opening speech at the 4th RCD congress, Saïd Saadi announced that he would not seek a new term as president of the RCD. The doctor decided to withdraw from the presidency of his party to become a simple activist. “With a clear conscience and full confidence in the future, I announce my decision not to run for the post of president of the RCD,” he told the delegates.

On March 10, 2012, Mohcine Belabbas, deputy of Algiers, was elected president of the RCD, following the party congress, held in Algiers.

The RCD announced on March 20, 2021 that it would boycott the 2021 Algerian legislative elections.^[5]

In the repression against political activists that followed the Hirak, the Ministry of the Interior prohibited the RCD from using its premises to host “illegal” political or association meetings.^[6] On January 10, 2022, the RCD announced that its president, Mohcine Belabbas, was placed under judicial supervision by the investigating judge.^[7] In January 2022, the day after the Council of State froze the activities of the Socialist Workers' Party (PST), the RCD declared that this decision “is none other than a questioning of political pluralism and exercise, hard-won achievements” and denounces “the administrative and judicial relentlessness” which “targets” it as well as its president, Mohcine Belabbas, believing that this “signs an unspeakable and unacceptable authoritarian drift”.

The party renews its leadership on June 3, 2022 with the election of Atmane Mazouz as party president.^[8]

Regional strength

In the 2007 legislative election, support for the RCD was higher than its national average (3.36%) in the following provinces:

Province	Percentage
Tizi Ouzou Province	34.28%
Béjaïa Province	17.51%
Bouïra Province	9.09%
Algiers Province	8.58%
Illizi Province	7.31%
Tipaza Province	6.89%
Guelma Province	4.83%
Boumerdès Province	4.55%
Saïda Province	4.30%
Sétif Province	4.25%
Aïn Defla Province	3.43%

Ministers

RCD Ministers in the Algerian Government
Minister	Ministère	Government	Start	End
Amara Benyounès	Ministry of Health	Benbitour Government	December 23, 1999	August 26, 2000
Hamid Lounaouci	Ministry of Transport	Benbitour Government Government Benflis I	December 23, 1999	May 31, 2001
Amara Benyounès	Ministry of Public Works	Government Benflis I	August 26, 2000	May 31, 2001

Visual Identity

Visual Identity of the Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie

Old flag of the Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie (pre 2002).
Current flag of the political party.
One of the variant flags of the RCD.

References

^ "3 Algerian parties call for election boycott". Associated Press. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
^ Zartman, Jonathan K., ed. (19 March 2020). Conflict in the Modern Middle East: An Encyclopedia of Civil War, Revolutions, and Regime Change. ABC-CLIO. p. 254. ISBN 9781440865039. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
^ Augustus Richard Norton (2001). Civil society in the Middle East. 2 (2001). BRILL. p. 83. ISBN 90-04-10469-0. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ "Leftist Parties of Algeria". Broad Left. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
^ https://www.kreo-agency.com. "La décision a été prise à l'issue de la réunion du conseil national du parti : Le RCD ne participera pas aux élections législatives - L'Actualité : Liberté". www.liberte-algerie.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
^ "En Algérie, le porte-parole d'un parti d'opposition condamné à deux ans de prison" (in French). 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
^ Pica (2022-01-10). "Le président du RCD Mohcine Belabbas placé sous contrôle judiciaire". observalgerie.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-30.
^ "Le RCD dénonce la « criminalisation » de l'action politique". TSA (in French). 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2024-10-30.

External links

Official website (in Berber, French, and Arabic)

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[1] "3 Algerian parties call for election boycott". Associated Press. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

[2] Zartman, Jonathan K., ed. (19 March 2020). Conflict in the Modern Middle East: An Encyclopedia of Civil War, Revolutions, and Regime Change. ABC-CLIO. p. 254. ISBN 9781440865039. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

[3] Augustus Richard Norton (2001). Civil society in the Middle East. 2 (2001). BRILL. p. 83. ISBN 90-04-10469-0. Retrieved 13 September 2014.

[4] "Leftist Parties of Algeria". Broad Left. Retrieved 7 May 2016.

[5] ttps://www.kreo-agency.com. "La décision a été prise à l'issue de la réunion du conseil national du parti : Le RCD ne participera pas aux élections législatives - L'Actualité : Liberté". www.liberte-algerie.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)

[6] "En Algérie, le porte-parole d'un parti d'opposition condamné à deux ans de prison" (in French). 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2024-10-30.

[7] Pica (2022-01-10). "Le président du RCD Mohcine Belabbas placé sous contrôle judiciaire". observalgerie.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-30.

[8] "Le RCD dénonce la « criminalisation » de l'action politique". TSA (in French). 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2024-10-30.

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v t e Political parties in Algeria
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