Candidates' representatives for April 9th presidential elections levelled accusations ahead of election campaign kick-off

Representatives of the candidates for April 9th presidential elections engaged in a series of accusations on reported breaches of the organic law ogoverning the elections one week before the beginning of the ongoing election campaign. Some of them informed the national political monitoring election committee, headed by Mohamed Takia, to secure a halt to these abuses. 

•  Representatives of the independent candidate Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who organized the popular and regional meetings, said that the most important fault the other five candidates for the next presidential elections made is that they focus in their electoral statements on criticizing the program that was previously made by the president Bouteflika instead of introducing their own electoral programs and their goals for the future in their bid to reach the presidency.
• “It is a wanton and unacceptable breach of the electoral campaign’s rules. It played down the statements by the five candidates which contain unfair criticism against the independent candidate Bouteflika. People are not stupid and can judge on the outcome of each party,”  Said Bouhadja, a leading member in the FLN and representative of Bouteflika’s campaign in the east of Algeria said.
• “The street proved the positive outcome of Bouteflika’s era. We witnessed this reality when we met with people. The future prospects of the next five-year plan with 150 billion dinars will also prove that Bouteflika’s program is very efficient,” he added.
• In the meantime, representatives of the other five candidates expressed their anger saying that Boutefilka is using the country’ treasury and did not distinguish between running his electoral campaign as a free candidate and his position as a president and the evidence is that people call him president and not candidate.
• The five candidates also argue that these abuses by outgoing  president Bouteflika  also violated  article 182 of the decree n°97/07 of the organic law governing the presidential elections.