Presidential Elections 2014: Circle of Boycotters is expanding

Poles of opposition that are “actors” in the political arena are moving gradually towards devoting the option of boycotting the Presidential Elections.

After the decision of the Rally for Culture and Democracy, and the Movement of Society for Peace to boycott the elections, attention is directed to the strengthening of the boycotters’ bloc, especially by the Islamic Movements.

Observers expect that MSP will use its weight within the Green Bloc to join Nahda to the boycott, noting that Djaballah, alluded previously to the futility of participating in light of the current circumstances, which is the same option that the Front of Change called for in the many occasions, to agree about a consensus candidate, and not to to reach a positive result in this regard, as there is no doubt that Menasra, who announced that he will not run, will not find a substitute but to boycott, and the question that arises in the case of the expansion of the boycott front, is the feasibility of any elections which lack real competitors.

RCD is considered the first political party which announces to boycott the Presidential Elections, claiming being perceived by the existence of indicators that confirm the intent of power to falsify the results before launching the elections’ process.

Movement of Society for Peace, led by Abderazzaq Mokri, joined this option due to the absence of the conditions which would grant freedom to the Algerians to choose their President, and ignore the demands of the political class which called for the establishment of conditions of fairness and transparency in accordance with the internationally accepted standards.

Same data made the leader of the Justice and Development Front, Sheikh Abdallah Djaballah, call for the political class to withdraw from the run and leave the power’s candidate alone in the race.

Group of 20 may join the boycott, as Djilali Soufinae, the leader of the New Generation Party, announced to withdraw from the elections, if President Bouteflika will run for a Fourth Term.

It seems through the expansion of boycott, that the next Presidential Election are moving slowly towards repeating the scenario of the Presidential Elections of 1999, which noticed the withdrawal of six candidates from the race at the last moment, leaving Bouteflika alone, when they realized that he was the regime’s candidate, but this time it seems that the opposition kept the lesson and left the track for the candidate of authority empty even before the starting whistle.

Observers think that the large number of candidates who will run is a tactic by the authority that may use them as “rabbits” of race, who will be accompanied by Bouteflika or the power’s candidate if serious candidates will boycott the elections, so as to provide the minimum credibility for the elections’ date.