Algerian interior minister: “elections are totally free

In a wide –ranging interview with Echourouk, the interior minister Dahou Oueld Kablia has asserted that there will be no other result that the one decided by the ballot boxes during the elections slated for this Thursday even if they chose the Islamists.

• He has also indicated that the project of the creation of an Islamic state in Algeria was written off from the dictionary of the parties singling out the republican nature of the Algerian government a guaranteed by the constitution.

• M Oueld Kablia assured that the upcoming elections will be fair an transparent stressing the importance of this event as it will pave the way for a radical change in the life of the Algerian citizens thanks to the commitment of the president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

• He has staunchly denounced the attempts of some foreign countries to impose their will and interfere in the country’s domestic affairs noting that Algeria will never yield to any form of pressure whatsoever. He slammed some parties that move to the foreign embassies here in Algeria considering them as traitors to the nation.

• As to his assessment to the electoral campaign, the minister has expressed his satisfaction on the whole stating that the campaign was positive in general despite some irregularities noting that 44 political parties and more than 100 independent took part in it. Oueld Kablia has indicated that the candidates did their best to attract the voters and display their program during this campaign adding that their discourse were moderate and the citizens were receptive to them.

• The minister has further declared that the campaign registered some irregularities including assaults against party leaders like Abu Djerra Soltani, Djabellah and Louiza Hanoun but they were isolated case, he said. However, the relevant authority didn’t receive any complaint from those parties saying that such acts were expected on account of the enthusiasm and fierce competition between the contenders.

• M Oueld Kablia expects a good turnout during the upcoming elections in comparison to the 2007 ones because a lot has been achieved since that period in the country especially for the most vulnerable social classes. The citizens were convinced by the president’s call that compared this event to a second November, referring to the outbreak of the glorious Algerian revolution.

• The minister has reacted to some parties’ speculations aims at threatening the citizens against a foreign intervention in case of fraud, saying that this is nonsense since no one can touch the sovereignty of Algeria because simply Algeria has its own specifications if compared to the Arab countries, noting that the Algerians love their president who insisted on free and fair elections.

• M Oueld kablia indicated that the Algerians love and vow respect to the president because they are aware that he is doing his utmost to serve them, but there some ministers and governors who failed short in their task, but this is not a rule for everybody.

• Reacting to the intervention of the US ambassador to Algeria who called from the province of Batna, eastern Algeria, for a large participation in the election, the minister has declared that the US ambassador is leading a campaign but his call was praiseworthy.

• As to the victory of the French socialist François Hollande in the presidential elections, Oueld kablia has indicated that this is a French internal issue and would not comment but the Algerian authorities will deal with the new leaders according to the country’s interests.