ZCZC
BFF-03
ALGERIA-POLITICS
Algeria interim leader makes new call for dialogue
ALGIERS, July 5, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Algeria’s interim president Abdelkader
Bensalah has called for a national dialogue to prepare for delayed
presidential elections, vowing that the state and the military would remain
neutral in the process.
What does the proposal mean in a country wracked by months of anti-
government protests that led to the resignation in April of veteran president
Abdelaziz Bouteflika?
– How does it work? –
In a speech on Wednesday he did not set a timetable for when the talks
would be launched. But he said “this dialogue… will be led freely and with
total transparency by national independent figures who have credibility and
who are not linked to any party”.
“The state in all its components, including the military, will not be party
to this dialogue and will remain neutral throughout,” Bensalah added.
His comments were a clear response to protesters who have flooded the
streets of the Algerian capital and other cities and towns since February,
initially against a bid by Bouteflika to seek a fifth term.
But even after the ailing president resigned in April, protesters have
continued to rally, pushing for key backers of Bouteflika’s 20-year-rule —
such as Bensalah — to step down before any new polls to elect his successor
are held.
“It was a beautiful speech” but “(we) prefer to wait and see how the
initiative will be implemented,” said Ahmed Sodok, an MP from the main
Islamist opposition party, the Movement for the Society of Peace (MSP).
– Why now? –
Bensalah made the proposal on the eve of Algeria’s 57th anniversary of
independence from French rule and ahead of the 20th consecutive Friday of
anti-government demonstrations.
His offer comes just days before his interim mandate expires on July 9, in
line with the constitution which stipulates a 90-day period during which new
presidential elections should be held.
Following his appointment by lawmakers on April 9, Bensalah pledged to
organise a “transparent” presidential election but a vote planned for July 4
was scrapped after the only two candidates were rejected.
During the weekly protests, demonstrators have been chanting: “No elections
with this gang in power.”
But during his speech, Bensalah urged demonstrators to set aside
“unrealistic requirements that are likely to prolong the current situation
and drag our country into a… constitutional vacuum”.
– Who will rule after July 9? –
Bensalah has already said that because of Algeria’s “exceptional situation”
he has no other choice but to prolong his interim as head of state until a
new presidential election.
After July 9, he will therefore remain the interim president, a situation
which historian and Algeria expert Karima Direche says will be totally
“outside the framework” stipulated by the constitution.
Protesters have repeatedly called on Bensalah and other Bouteflika-era
officials to step down, but they believe that the real powerbroker today in
Algeria is army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah.
Gaid Salah was an ally of the ailing president, but as pressure from
demonstrators mounted he ultimately called for the long-time leader’s
impeachment.
– Conditions for dialogue –
“Everything will depend” on who is chosen to take part in the dialogue
proposed by the interim president, says Abdelouahab Fersaoui, president of
the Rally for Youth Action civil society group.
Sociologist Nacer Djabi says protesters mistrust the authorities and have a
list of demands before agreeing to join any national dialogue.
Top of their list is that authorities put an end to the arbitrary detention
of demonstrators during weekly rallies and give air time on state television
to the protesters.
– Can the offer bring change? –
The authorities have to act as the situation cannot “last long”, says
Direche.
According to her, Algeria’s current rulers believed in vain they could
persuade protesters during the three-month interim period of the need to hold
speedy elections to find a successor for Bouteflika.
If Bensalah’s offer is rejected, Gaid Salah could accept “the creation of
an autonomous entity (that would allow him) to take over the interim
presidency”, Direche says.
“It is a plausible scenario.”
But Algeria could be dragged into a deeper crisis, including violence, she
adds, insisting that after weeks of protests it is time “to find a political
solution”.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0839 hrs