How Did The Army Leadership Succeed In Securing Algeria’s Presidential Elections?

The Supreme Command of the National People’s Army expressed its satisfaction at the success in securing the presidential elections, as it congratulated the joint security services for securing them tightly for a peaceful electoral process in the context of the security threats which were foiled in a record time, while others were thwarted in their cradle after receiving leaks which confirmed the existence of plots that were targeting the presidential elections.

Identical sources told Echorouk that the Supreme Command of the armed forces, headed by the Major General, Ahmed Gaid Salah, Deputy Minister of National Defense and Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army, did not leave his office high in Algiers Tagara El Biar, and he was following the electoral process from a security point of view, moment by moment, and gave orders to the leaders of the six military regions, that all the efforts should be harnessed to secure citizens, on the one hand, and to secure the Algerian borders, in the context of thwarting any attempt by smugglers and drug and weapons barons, to use the occasion to pass their toxins and intensify their activities.

On the other hand, the National Gendarmerie was tasked with securing a large part of the polling centres and offices in most provinces of the country, the army leadership was in constant contact throughout Wednesday and Thursday, as it was instructed to “deal strictly and with the force of the law with any objection to the elections or citizens who are wishing to exercise their right, without excluding the use of violence and oppression, regardless of the degree of provocation against the gendarmerie forces”.

Echorouk sources said that the Major General Gaid Salah did not leave his office at the National Defense Ministry until late on Thursday to return again to office in the early morning of Friday, in order to follow up on all security developments, which passed safely to Algeria and the Algerians, where no violations or frictions with the security services were recorded, including the Kabylian region.

The same sources revealed that the leaders of the military regions and the commander of the national gendarmerie and then the leaders of the regional gendarmerie groups and the director-general of national security and with him the 48 heads of state security offices, did not go to sleep from Wednesday night to Thursday and then to Friday, and they were following all operations with full accuracy.

Major General Gaid Salah, prior to the presidential elections, gave “strict” instructions to all components of the People’s National Army and security services of the necessity “to exercise the utmost vigilance and preparedness and ensure full and complete insurance for these elections to enable citizens in all parts of the country to fulfil their right and electoral duty in an atmosphere of calm and tranquillity, applying the force of law for anyone who tries to disturb this important electoral date in the context of the important national responsibility to preserve the security and stability in the country, which, according to Gaid Salah, deserves “today and every day, we must defend it in all circumstances and situation, and whatever sacrifices may cost us, to fulfil the covenant we made with God, the homeland and the people”.

Gaid Salah singled out the National Gendarmerie Corps, which “effectively contributes to preserving the security and stability of the country, as it is a very important link and communication with the people, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, where the National Gendarmerie is in daily and direct contact with citizens”.