Benflis Electoral Campaign's Spokesman, Lotfi Boumeghar to Echorouk: “Benflis will run regardless of competitors”

Benflis Electoral Campaign’s Spokesman for April’s Presidential Elections, Lotfi Boumeghar, said that the only concern of the former Prime Minister is how to convince the Algerians to accept his project, and do not care about the identity of the other candidates.

Why did you choose January 19 to announce the official candidacy of Ali Benflis for Presidential Elections 2014?

There is no symbolism, especially in the selection of this date, but Mr. Ali Benflis, wanted to wait for the formal call from the electorate body, to announce his candidacy in an official capacity, as he was also very keen on the announcement of his candidacy immediately after this call, and which will be within two days at most.

What if the electoral body is called before this date?

We believe that the Constitution will be respected in this regard, and this is clear like the sun, as the President of the Republic will call the Electoral Body for the Presidential Elections in 2014, on 16 or 17 January as a deadline, in accordance with the deadlines that are prescribed by the Law on Elections, which states that “without prejudice to the provisions of Article 88 of the Constitution, the Electoral Body will be called according to the presidential decree within 90 days before the date of the ballot, which means that the last call for the electoral body will be on 17 of this month.”

For whom did you send the call among national figures to attend the announcement of the candidacy deadline?

We did not send a call for any national figure, because the meeting will be with the national and international media which is accredited in Algeria to announce on Benflis candidacy only.

What is the methodology which you have adopted in announcing the candidacy?

At the meeting, Mr. Ali Benflis will not announce words that have profound political implications, and he will provide a summary of the most important basic choices for his project, which he holds for Algeria.

Why the date of announcing candidacy is postponed every time?

Ali Benflis has never selected a date to declare candidacy to postpone it, the only determinant date is 19 January.

There are figures, who announced their candidacy for the coming Presidential Elections, and others who announced on rejecting candidacy of if Bouteflika will run for a fourth term, not because of fearing the president’s competition, but because they are sure that the Elections’ results will be settled in advance. Will Ali Benflis be among them?

Mr. Benflis will run for the Presidential Elections of April 2014, whatever the identity of the other candidates is, as he is fully convinced of his project, and whose only concern is focused on how to convince the Algerian people of its content, without giving any importance to those who will run.