Opponents of Bouteflika’s fourth mandate heckle Ghoul and Benyounes in Marseille

Disgruntled Algerians settled in Marseille have disrupted the close of an election campaign rally staged on Sunday in the southern French city by Ministers Amar Ghoul and Amara Benyounes who were charged with extolling the merits of incumbent President Bouteflika’s program ahead of the April 17 presidential elections in Algeria.

The Marseille rally passed off with no incident but at the exit of the ministers from the conference hall, they were besieged by tens of Algerian immigrants who voiced their staunch opposition to Bouteflika’s fourth term in office by describing the upcoming presidential election as a ‘masquerade’ solely aimed at perpetuating the accomplished fact imposed by the current regime.

Ghoul and Benyounes were heckled and belaboured as they were trying to get on board their waiting cars and had immense difficulties to squeeze out of this quandary in the face of the surging opponents of the fourth mandate.

A spokesman of the Marseille-based committee against Bouteflika’s re-election bid, Abdellaziz Henni, said that they were seeking a ‘outright political transition in order to re-establish legitimacy and usher in democratic values in Algeria’.