Two months ago -- and just a few weeks before he was to stand for reelection -- Algerian President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika, bowing to pressure from protesters opposed to him standing for a fifth term in office, resigned after 20 years at the country's helm. National elections were canceled soon after the ailing ruler stepped down, and the interim government scheduled a July 4 vote to choose the next president. But under pressure from the protesters, which had coalesced into a powerful nationwide movement, and facing a lack of viable candidates, the rescheduled election now has also been postponed. While the protesters succeeded in forcing Bouteflika out, they have been unable to drive any profound changes in the structure of the Algerian government. Beyond the weakening of the presidential office, with the presidency likely to remain vacant and its powers diminished for some time to come, the system of rule in...