Algeria: Government coalition support Butaflika
Supporters of the Algerian President Abdul Aziz Butaflika on Monday formed a front whose nucleus is composed of three parties belonging to the current governmental coalition, with the aim to support his nomination for the presidential elections on April 8th, despite the fact that Butaflika did not nominate himself officially for the elections.
Meantime, the Algerian mass media yesterday disclosed that five candidates withdrew from elections race including former prime ministers, in a situation that prepare for the same scene of the recent presidential elections that took place in Algeria in 1999.
The new alliance includes the democratic national coalition headed by the prime minister Ahmad O Yahya, the peace society movement ( the moderate Islamic) and those who split from the national liberation front ( al-Wahid party, formerly), which support Butaflika and formed what they had called the " Correction movement " in the party. These sides said in a joint statement that they will seek through this agreement to convert the coalition government into an election alliance that will enhance democracy in the country.
The Algerian foreign minister Abdul Aziz Balkhadem who chairs the opposition wing in the liberation front and stands in support of Butaflika said that the Algerian President will nominate himself officially within five days. However, analysts said that Butaflika does not want to repeat what happened in 1999 when all other candidates withdrew from the presidential elections and accused the government as intending to falsify the elections.
However, the Algerian independent daily al-Khabar quoted sources close to the the so-called "Anti falsification front" which includes 10 Presidential candidates saying that "five of the candidates announced their withdrawal during a meeting on Monday at the headquarters of the Republican national alliance "but they left it free for each and every one of them to disclose his position individually within the coming days." The nominees who pulled out are former prime minister Ahmad Bin Beitour, Rashid Bin Yalas, al-Sharif Bin Qasem and the former prime minister Rida Qasem. It is also expected that the former Prime minister Miqdad Seifi will announce his decision not to take part within the few coming days and had notified members of the group of his decision.
The withdrawal of candidates coincides with the announcement made by the former prime minister "Maloud Hamrosh" that he will not nominate himself for the elections "because of his personal confidence that the game is for the interest of the President," according to the note.
The note said that "three figures out of the group will adopt the option of taking part in the elections to the end. They are the secretary general of the national liberation front Ali Benflis, and the chairman of the coalition for culture and Democracy Saeed Saadi and the chairman of al-Wafaa and al-Adel movement Ahmad Taleb al-Ibraheimi and this is because of their assumption that "the best means to rescue the country's political pluralism in Algeria is to compete with the President in the field to the last moment, especially as the army vowed to remain neutral during the elections."