Sellal: “President Bouteflika’s multifarious achievements plead for fourth mandate”

Algerian Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, has again floated political messages pleading for a fourth straight presidential mandate by incumbent Abdellaziz Bouteflika in view of the latter’s achievements during his three previous terms of office in numerous fields of endeavor.

The Prime Minister extolled the President’s vision and political clout saying that his achievements were outstanding in terms of national reconciliation, security and socio-economic development.

Taking the floor during a meeting with local civil society members of the eastern city of Bordj Bou Arreridj as part of a working visit of inspection there on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sellal affirmed that peace and security had been restored across the country thanks the wise and efficient policy-line pursued by President Abdellaziz Bouteflika after more than a decade of violence and turmoil in the 1990’s spawned by the hideous terrorism scourge.

Mr Abdelmalek Sellal further brought into focus President Bouteflika’s achievements for the welfare of the Algerian population by citing notably the construction over the past ten years of 1.9 million new housing units, 3.500 educational facilities, 19 universities, 340 hospitals, 99 medical centers, tens of thousands of new asphalted roads, 1.900 Kms of railway lines as well as the supply to millions of homes of electricity, gas and drinking water on a regular basis.

That’s why, Mr Sellal, underlined that a new 5 – year term in office by President Bouteflika should be sought and upheld by all those citizens who yearn for the country’s stability and for further well-being and social welfare in the years to come, as he put it.

As Algeria has set the next presidential elections for April 17 2014, the election campaign will start from March 23 to April 13, Director of Liberties and Legal Affairs of the Interior Ministry, Mohamed Talbi, said on Tuesday in Algiers.

According to the law on the electoral system, “the campaign will kick off 25 days ahead of the election and will stop three days before it. Thus, it will take place between March 23 to April 13,” Talbi told the National Radio.

So far, 42 candidates have started gathering the required 60, 000 signatures of eligible voters or 600 local elected officials before being qualified to submit their applications for the election.

The Constitutional Council said on Monday that the deadline for submitting applications is March 4.

The presidential elections will be monitored by two bodies, including the National Commission on Election Monitoring, composed of representatives of political parties and independent candidates, and the National Commission for the Supervision of Elections, made up of magistrates, according to the report.