Boutifliqa the only candidate for Algerian elections

Some 17,494,136 Algerian people who are of voting age were called upon today to elect the seventh president of Algeria. The number of voting centers reached 8,552, while number of balloting boxes is 38,798 including 639 mobile balloting boxes. The number of voting offices abroad is 248.

All these balloting centers are supervised by 60,000 employees.

These are the sixth elections in the history of Algeria and the second multilateral elections. The first presidential elections were held in Algeria on December 10, 1976 to elect the only candidate, Houwari Bu Medyan, for the National Liberation Front in Algeria.

However, great questions were put on the fate of the Presidential elections in Algeria due to convene today after six of the seven candidates announced their withdrawal from the elections. The six candidates, therefore place the ball in the court of the Algerian authorities which they blame for totally ignoring forged and false operations carried out in the interests of the seventh candidate, Ahmad Boutafliqa, who is backed by the army.

In his first comment on the position adopted by the six withdrawn candidates, Boutafliqa said he will continue the march until the end despite the withdrawal of his rivals. He added that the real problem which will face Algerians today is the "participation of the Algerian people themselves in these elections."

He asserted that if the Algerian people do not take part in the elections the situation will be catastrophic. He continued that he stems from a board base of the Algerian people who call for his nomination, adding that he wins the vast support of workers, peasants, traders, youths and parties.

Earlier, Boutafliqa opposed the participation of foreign observers in the elections in order to investigate the "honesty" of any voting process in Algeria. In an interview with French television, Boutafliqa said: "I am a committed nationalist, and I do not think that the elections will be more transparent if certain observers from the UN, the Organization of African Unity and the Arab League will come to Algeria for this purpose."