Algeria’s constitutional council, the body which oversees elections in the country, has reportedly scrapped the presidential election set for 4 July.
The constitutional council said in a statement on Sunday that the scheduled vote to choose a successor to former long-time President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is being scrapped due to lack of candidates reported BBC. The announcement was made after the two candidates, who filed their candidatures last month, were rejected. The council, however, did not offer any explanation or reason for the rejection.
The election body said that it is now up to the interim president, Abdelkader Bensalah, to set a new date for the vote. Bensalah, the former upper house speaker, was appointed as the interim president after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to resign in April vowing to mass public protests. The protests were triggered by Bouteflika’s plan to seek a fifth term.
It is likely that the postponement of the election will extend the rule of the interim president, who was meant to stay only until the vote to elect a new president.
Meanwhile, demonstrators took out on the streets of the capital Algiers and other cities again on Friday, demanding President Bensalah and Prime Minister Bedoui, who was appointed by Bouteflika days before he stepped down, to resign.
After Bouteflika’s exit, the people of Algeria are now vowing for a complete end to the dominance of the elite who have ruled Algeria since it won independence from France in 1962 to ensure a new era for Algeria.
The July vote had been backed by Algeria’s army chief, General Ahmed Gaid Salah, who had called for the impeachment of the long-time leader. The former Bouteflika supporter, Salah, has been managing the transition. He even called on political parties and protesters to hold talks on finding a way out of the crisis.
