The presidential election campaigning in Algeria will officially begin on Sunday, the official APS news agency reported on Thursday, reported Xinhua Net.
Mohamed Chorfi, the President of Algerian Independent Election Monitoring Authority, said on Thursday that all technical and human resources were mobilized to ensure the smooth running of the presidential election campaign before the December 12 vote date.
Chorfi added that the election authority will ensure there is equity among all candidates in coverage of their activities and statements. He said free and fair election campaign will guarantee voters “free choice.”
The election body also expressed commitment to ensure fair and democratic conduct for the election. Earlier this month, the election authority approved the name of five candidates to participate in the election of the 23 candidates who had applied. The list includes the names of former Prime Ministers Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Ali Benflis, former Culture Minister Azzedine Mihoubi, former Tourism Minister Abdelkader Bengrine and Abdelaziz Belaid, head of the El Mostakbal Movement party.
In September, interim Algerian President Abdelkader Bensalah announced that the presidential election is scheduled for Dec. 12. The Algerian army and the authorities are backing the December election saying that vote would be the only way to get the country out of a crisis since the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April under pressure from protesters.
The protesters, who continue with the weekly demonstrations, have rejected the election despite promises of “transparency” from the authorities, saying it will not be fair as some of the former president Bouteflika’s allies are still in power. They are demanding the departure of all those associated with the corrupt former regime, including interim President Abdelkader Bensalah and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui.
In related news, Algeria’s parliament on Thursday adopted a controversial law aimed at boosting investment in the oil and gas sector. The activists are, however, against the law as they claim that multinational companies would plunder the country’s wealth.
