France pressurizes Algeria to create vice-president position

Middle East Newspaper quoted a diplomatic source, without revealing his identity, as saying that France now fears the vacuum in Algeria in light of the current health situation of President Bouteflika, even after he was elected by an overwhelming majority, but the source confirmed that Bouteflika totally rejects the idea of creating the post of vice-president, but Paris insists in order to avoid a power vacuum in a country that it considers a strategic partner for France and Europe, especially in the presence of European plans to resort Algeria to compensate for the gas quantities that Europe imported from Russia against the backdrop of the tension in Russian-European relationships because of the Ukrainian crisis.

According to the same source, the West sent two important messages to Algerian officials, including President Bouteflika in the midst of the electoral campaign, on the subject of stability and cooperation with Algeria in the field of energy, that were transferred by John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Jose Manuel Margallo, the Spanish Foreign Minister.

“Decision-making circles in France expressed their fears of the unrest that may affect the stability of Algeria, which it is considered an important strategic partner in the network of European interests, as it is the source of energy for Europe, with fears from the Ukrainian crisis, and stopping the Russian gas supply. Therefore, Algeria becomes the alternative of Europeans to compensate the lost, after Moscow interventions in Ukraine resulted in attempts to limit the adoption of the European continent on the import of oil and gas, as Europeans prepare plans to reduce imports from Russia with about 45 billion cubic meters by 2020, equivalent to $18 billion annually, which is a quarter of supplies that are pumped by Russia currently.

Same sources explained that the French strongly support the former Prime Minister and campaign manager of the President’s elections, Abdelmalek Sellal, to lead the task of vice president at the stage of the fourth term of Bouteflika’s rule, to help him devote himself to the treatment, and so to answer one of the questions that were strongly raised in North Africa, which is: “Who will succeed Bouteflika in the leadership of one of the key allies of the West in the fight against terrorism, as a number of suggestions to the constitutional reforms that were promised by Sellal on behalf of Bouteflika during the campaign, are seen as an indicator to the direction of the country towards the creation of the post of vice-president.

“Circles in FLN adopt the advice of France to the need to appoint a vice-president to Bouteflika after he won the 4th term without the adoption of the name Abdelmalek Sellal, but Amar Saadani’s talk about FLN’s desire in the leadership of the government as the majority party, and dedicating this requirement in the coming constitutional amendment, means that it is FLN’s waiver to Sellal for the post of vice-president.

Diplomats at the French Foreign Ministry think that the constitutional amendment includes articles that limit the role of the military institution in political life, and reduce the future presidential terms to two terms only, with five years for each.