Bouteflika’s campaign manager: Algeria elections turnout will exceed 60 percent

Manager of Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s electoral campaign denied allegations against the president of using the State’s means. “Bouetflika’s gatherings were organised by means of money allocated for the campaign,” Abdelmalek Sellal told Echorouk in an interview.

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• Cadidate Abdelaziz Bouteflika is accused of using the State’s means in his electoral campaign. Is it true?
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• We must not forget that the candidate Abdelaziz Bouteflika is Algeria’s president. Because of that, he has to benefit from special security coverage. A number of parties and organisations supported him including the Presidential Alliance and unions. They used all available means to make his campaign successful. As I am the electoral campaign manager, I can not ask all of those people to not offer financial support.
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• Your campaign focused on urging people to vote more than promoting the president’s program. Is that due to the boycott spectre?
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• It is true that we focused on encouraging people to vote because the next step will be very difficult and sensitive. The elected candidate must be strongly supported by people. The international public opinion must see that the elected president is popular.
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• How do you expect the turnout?
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• We noticed that people were interested in the campaign. That would have a positive impact on the turnout which I expect it would not be less that 60 percent.
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• It is said the elections are already rigged for President Bouteflika. Will that have an impact on the electoral process and its results?
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• If we look at the parties, associations and the civil society organisations which are in support of a certain candidate, we can say that he may be elected. Speaking about possible fraud, it is not true at all because the candidate Bouteflika said he did not accept any fraud in elections. Furthermore, the Algeria law is clear. It gives sufficient guarantees to candidates to ensure the transparency of the electoral process.
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• The Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) raised a black flag outside its offices instead of the Algerian flag ahead of the elections. What do you say about that?
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• I can not comment on this act. We wish the party expressed its position via dialogue because any opposition party can clearly express itself without affecting the State’s symbols because the national flag is something sacred.