Macron Finally Bows Down And Congratulates Tebboune Warmly
A statement issued by the Algerian Presidency said that the elected President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, received, on Tuesday evening, a phone call from the French President, Emmanuel Macron, during which the latter expressed his “warm congratulations” to Mr Tebboune after “having won the confidence of the Algerian people following the elections held on December 12th, 2019” .
According to the same source, the two presidents reviewed during this conversation – the statement added – “various aspects of existing bilateral relations between the two countries and many international and regional issues of common concern, as they agreed on the importance of taking the necessary measures, including activating the appropriate bilateral mechanisms to enhance political consultation between the two sides”.
Paris was alone in its stand on the Algerian elections, as it was until Tuesday evening the only country that did not congratulate the president-elect directly and its officials focused in all their statements on the phrase “we take note”, in a “desperate” attempt to reduce the importance of the electoral event in Algeria.
This happened in parallel with what appeared in the French media, as there was a tendency to criticize the move and to challenge the results of the December 12th presidential voting contest.
French President Emmanuel Macron commented earlier about the election results, saying: “We have taken note of Mr. Tebboune’s victory”.
He stressed, “From this moment we say,” There is an ongoing process … We also note that there is an important social movement, it is important to continue the dialogue at this crucial moment”.
“We believe that Algeria is experiencing a crucial moment and entering a new stage in its history,” he added.
Following on President Macron’s footsteps, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday, declared about the Algerian presidential polls, saying, “We have taken note of Mr. Tebboune’s election victory” while calling for dialogue”.