Fadila Habib (1968-) was an Algerian Democratic National Rally politician who served as President of Algeria from 2020 to 2021, succeeding Idris Bendjedid and preceding Ara Zerhouni. Habib was a well-respected stateswoman who championed democracy, overthrew the FLN monopoly of power, and oversaw a booming economy which coexisted with impactful social reforms.
Biography[]
Fadila Habib was born in Oran, Algeria in 1968 to a Sunni Muslim Arab family. She worked as a journalist before entering politics, initially with the FLN, and later with Liamine Zeroual's Democratic National Rally. In 2007, Habib was elected to the People's National Assembly as an RND deputy, and she became her party's leader in parliament, having led it to win 18.52% of the vote and 7 seats (placing in second behind the FLN's 20.97% and 7 seats). Habib then challenged FLN candidate Idris Bendjedid in the ensuing presidential election, which she lost with 43% of the vote to Bendjedid's 57%. Nevertheless, she was generally supportive of the FLN regime's social and economic policies, and she opposed the Islamist parties. Habib pursued a social liberal course, overseeing the passage of several new taxes to alleviate the 2019 recession and later spearheading the passage of a law limiting the President to two terms, both preventing her rivall Bendjedid from continuing to win re-election and marking her as a champion of democracy in Algeria.
Presidency[]
In the first presidential election held since Bendjedid was term-limited, Habib defeated Rally for Culture and Democracy candidate Samman Djaout with 54.9% of the vote to Djaout's 45.1%; her party also controlled 15/54 seats in the People's National Assembly, making it the largest party in parliament (and the only one with double-digit seats, with the RCD placing in second with 9 seats and the FLN placing in third with 8 seats). Habib then assumed the presidency, and Fathi Belloumi filled her vacant seat in the PNA. Under Habib, the PNA voted 30-11 to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 (with 8 abstentions), although it failed to meet the 80% threshold. The MPS then launched protests against the government, which Habib suppressed at a cost of 20 million DA. The PNA then voted 41-4 to create a robbery penalty, Habib fired deputy Mahmoud Khadra after he was implicated in a corruption scandal, RND deputy Najila Bouamama defected to the FLN, the PNA voted 26-16 to abolish the school bus tax, 45-3 to approve a government scholarship, 51-0 in favor of a national ambulance service, 36-16 in favor of funding parks over theatres, and 35-8 in favor of a housing tax. On New Year's Day, AQIM launched a terrorist attack which decreased the morale of the nation, and Habib gained popularity with her televised response to the attack. In March 2021, new elections were held in which the RND rose to 30.25% of the vote and 16 seats, the RCD rose to 17.39% and 9 seats, the FLN fell to 13.75% and 8 seats, the TAJ fell to 9.4% and 5 seats, the MPS fell to 9.34% and 5 seats, the FFS rose to 11.35% and 6 seats, the PT fell to 6.4% and 4 seats, and the MPA fell to 2.12% and 1 seat. Habib went on to win re-election with 56.8% of the vote to Djaout's 43.2%, a larger margin than in the 2020 election.
A few weeks after Habib won re-election, a nationwide poll showed the FLN making a comeback; the RND was projected to win 29.2%, the RCD 17.3%, the FLN 14.8%, the FFS 11.8%, the MPS 9.3%, the TAJ 9%, the PT 6%, and the MPA 2.5%. The PNA went on to vote 42-3 against gun control (supported only by the Workers' Party), 39-5 to maintain a public smoking ban, 30-17 to fund highways rather than theatres, 32-10 against a 10% electoral threshold, 40-2 to keep public libraries, 45-2 to keep the robbery penalty, 38-6 to approve national parks, 31-6 to approve sex education, 44-1 to protect plant varieties, 43-3 in favor of universal health care, 23-22 to approve a school bus tax, and 23-19 to keep the income tax. In the elections of late 2021, the RND fell to 29.12% and 16 seats, the RCD fell to 16.23% and 9 seats, the FLN rose to 15.33% and 8 seats, the FFS rose to 11.93% and 6 seats, the TAJ rose to 10.22% and 6 seats, the MPS fell to 9.15% and 5 seats, the PT fell to 5.44% and 3 seats, and the MPA rose to 2.58% and 1 seat. The term-limited Habib was unable to stand for re-election, so Ara Zerhouni ran as the RND candidate and defeated Samman Djaout 53.3% to 46.7%. She continued to serve as Chairwoman of the RND in the PNA, passing important legislation to support Zerhouni's administration.