Most judgments of the Boumediene regime have focused on the national level and, whether sympathetic or hostile, have generally taken its authoritarian if not dictatorial character for granted. Examination of the dynamics of local politics in Greater Kabylia during this period suggests this picture badly needs to be qualified. In contrast to regime practice in the era of formal pluralism since 1989, the Boumediene regime did not rig or falsify elections, interference from the army was conspicuous for its absence, popular participation was high and the legitimacy dividend to the regime substantial. This paper discusses the interaction of party, administration, central government, local communities and informal factions in the local, regional and national assembly elections held in Kabylia between 1967 and 1977 and argues that the Boumediene regime followed a complex and subtle strategy that allowed for a genuine element of democracy within the formally monolithic framework of the FLN-state.