Electorate summoned to vote on May 17

Parliamentary elections

Electorate summoned to vote on May 17

El Khabar, 17 February 2007

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has yesterday summoned the electoral body to parliamentary polls on May 17th, in virtue of a presidential decree released in the Official Journal on May 11. The 389 seats of the National Popular Assembly (APN) are, thus, to be renewed on Thursday 17 May.
The National Liberation Front-dominated APN is expected to witness some political change as the Gathering for Culture and democracy (RCD) decided in its last convention to take part in the elections through “joint lists” with democratic forces. Besides, Citizenship Movement in Kabilya (Arouch) intends to partake in the polls through independent candidates. The movement had boycotted 2002 parliamentary elections as well as the Gathering for Culture and democracy the Socialist Forces Front (FFS) in the wake of the violence the area had witnessed. The FFS, chaired by the historical and revolutionary figure Hussein Ait Ahmed, has not yet given its final decision on whether to participate in next parliamentary polls or not.
A new political fact for next electoral rendezvous is the intention of activists from ex-FIS (Salvation Islamic Front) to take part in the elections through free lists or within political parties. How would government deal with such candidates is still unknown as the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation does not allow these activists to participate in any political activity.
Other political parties raised again the issue of electoral fraud; some political and party leaders told the press they have some apprehension as to the fact that elections are to be staged by government that is mostly made up of FLN’s members. To mollify dubious, National Reform Movement (MRN) and Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) asked to clean up voters’ list, guarantee government impartiality and tighten control on the operation.

2007-02-17
By C. Mohamed