Algeria: Opposition Alliance calls for national union government ahead of 2014 presidential polls

The opposition alliance, comprising 20 political parties and several political figures, has hiked its standing claims by calling on President Abdellaziz Bouteflika to set up a government of national unity before the upcoming presidential elections slated for April 17th 2014.

The Alliance urged the head of state to revamp the current governmental team by appointing independent personalities as ministers in those strategic sectors having a direct link with the organization and monitoring of the forthcoming presidential polls.

The ministerial portfolios concerned are those of justice, interior, finance and communication in order to ensure the fairness and the transparency of the 2014 presidential electoral contest, Alliance members stressed in a statement to Echorouk.

In this connection, the Secretary General of the good governance party, Aïssa Belhadi, told Echorouk that in addition to rejecting the idea of a constitutional revision prior to the holding of the presidential election, the opposition Alliance also claimed the setting up of an independent election in charge of monitoring the upcoming polls in order to live up to the legitimate aspirations of the Algerian people and those of the country’s political class.

It should be noted that Interior Minister, Tayeb Belaiz, has firmly ruled out the proposed setting up of such an independent commission as requested by opposition parties, arguing that the next polls would be supervised as usual by the Administration through various structures in addition to scores of foreign election-monitors from government and non-governmental organizations.