A Protest Movement Marred the New Parliament Inauguration

The session of appointing the new deputies at the lower chamber of the parliament became on Saturday a space for protest and condemn over the results of the elections, as a MP from the Green Algeria Bloc, Nomane Laouar, surprised the audience immediately after the end of the call of representatives, by breaking silence of the room, and raising a red banner reading “No to fraud”, followed by the rest of the party’s deputies, who in turn raised banners and left the room, except the former Minister of Public Works Amar Ghoul, who did not leave his place refusing to make any statement, saying; “You can say what you want”.

The parliamentary session to appoint the new deputies was not normal, because of the anticipated protest movement by the deputies of the Green Algeria Bloc, who exploited the massive presence of media to express their opposition, and categorical rejection of the elections’ results which decided about the 50 seats that the bloc won in the council.

The same deputies were shouting and raising red banners in the parliament, despite the attempt of FLN representatives Arbi Ould Khalifa, who presided over the meeting in his capacity as the older deputy, to calm down the situation, saying that the internal rules and procedure do not allow the granting of a point of order.

Reaction of the opposition bloc was offset by a backlash by FLN deputies, who stood in turn, in the center of the hall and called for the life of the party and Algeria and beat their hands on the tables, coinciding with the departure of the bloc’s deputies, who left the courtroom, except of Amar Ghoul, who did not leave his place, refusing to justify his position and insisting on rejecting the reporters’ questions without showing signs of anxiety or emotion.

In the heart of Parliament, Nomane Laouar, read a statement to reporters, as a coordinator of the parliamentary group of Green Algeria Bloc, confirming that only 49 MPs just walked out of the room, pointing to Amar Ghoul, to protest against the elections’ official results, and to condemn the manipulators, calling upon the authorities to take the necessary measures to punish them.