Mahfouz Nehnah wants independent committee to check election results
Algeria, Politics, 10/30/1997

Sources close to the Algerian government said that the call of the head of the Peaceful Society Movement, Sheikh Mahfouz Nehnah, on the international community to support the initiative suggesting setting up an independent committee to examine the doubts about the election held last week. This has caused great anger within the government circles as it was considered to be a direct call for the world to intervene in the internal affairs of Algerian.

He added that the government is studying a request to ask Sheikh Nehnah to submit an explanation of what he stated. Sheikh Nehnah had called for setting up an independent national committee to check into allegations of misdoings during the election.

Nehnah suggested that the committee should include members of the People's Council (the Parliament), ex-parliamentarians, lawyers and independent judges in addition to high officials from the army, scientists, and media men.

Well informed sources said that the government is waiting the response of the judicial councils in the cases filed by the minority parties which protest the results of the elections.

Eight parties submitted 300 appeals to the judicial councils of Algeria. Appeals are allowed to be submitted within 10 days after announcing the results of the election. The National Liberation Front submitted 140 appeals, the National Democratic Gathering submitted 70 appeals, the Peaceful Society Movement submitted 30 appeals, the Renaissance Movement submitted 20 appeals, the Renovation Algerian Party submitted 17 appeals, the Socialist Powers Front submitted 15 appeals, the Gathering for Culture and Democracy submitted 5 appeals, and the Labor Party has 3 appeals.

Previous Stories:
  Protests in the streets against the results of election   (10/30/1997)
  Balloting complete in Algeria   (10/24/1997)
  Algerian Hamas Movement accusations of terrorism are baseless   (10/24/1997)

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