Benflis accuses Butaflika of obstructing justice; Algerian state council freezes liberation front assets

The Algerian state council issued its verdict for fixing the sentence issued by the administrative department to freeze activities of the National Liberation Front party and its deposits as well as cancellation of the results and recommendations of the party's 8th congress.

The state council which is considered the final verdict, that can not be subjected to cassation, authorizes the foreign minister Abdul Aziz Balkhadem who opposes the secretary general Ali Benflis in running the party according to enforced laws enacted in organizing the work of political parties.

In the first reaction to the verdict, Benflis accused the Algerian President Abdul Aziz Butaflika of undermining the independency of judiciary. He said that Butaflika employes the state establishments for his electoral purposes through pressure and threats.

The official spokesman for the liberation front party, Abdul Salaam Mujahid, who supports Ali Benflis criticized the sentence of the state's council and considered it as an unprecedented step because it is in contradiction with the sentence issued by the same council in the case of convening the extraordinary conference.

The sentence by the state council ends the legal conflict between the two wings of the National Liberation Front party in favor of the interests of Abdul Aziz Butaflika led by Abdul Aziz Balkhadem, and this is before the Presidential elections in which the election campaign will be a stage for a strong political conflict. Meantime, the general federation of Algerian workers which represents some 4 Algerian workers groups decided to support Butaflika in the presidential elections expected to be held in April.

Unofficial statistics say that number of Algerians eligible for voting exceeds 17 million out of the total Algerian population of 32 million.