Benflis: General Toufik was dismissed in non-ordinary conditions

Algerian opposition candidate Ali Benflis avoided to talk about the dismissal of intelligence chief General Mohamed Mediene alias Toufik. Yet, he criticized the absence of transparency in the decision. “That created rumors,” he said on Tuesday.

Benflis described General Toufik’s departure as “normal,” saying “All the army commanders are changed regularly. Those changes are conducted in accordance with a number of legal criteria.”

“In different countries in the world, changes in the army are conducted in transparency and are justified. They are not State top secret,” he told journalists.

He added that decisions in Algeria are not well studied and do not respect the law.

“The dismissal came in non-ordinary conditions. The army must be kept away from any conflict as it is in charge of protecting the country’s integrity and independence,” he said.

“We can not talk about a civil State in the absence of people’s sovereignty and parliamentary surveillance on the government’s performance. Our State is characterized by corruption and dictatorship.”

The presidential candidate criticized the economic situation in Algeria and held the government responsible for the bad exploitation of the $800 billion-oil income.

“A dark future is waiting for the country following the oil prices fall. The government does not say the truth to people. It should review its managing policy in order to avoid economic problems,” he added.