Algerian parties review campaigns as elections near

27/11/2007

The campaign for the double election on November 29th came to an end at midnight Monday. Politicians hope they have done enough over the last three weeks to forestall voter apathy.

By Lyes Aflou for Magharebia in Algiers – 27/11/07

[Getty Images] Political supporters demonstrate at a rally in Algiers on Monday (November 26th), the last day of Algeria's official local elections campaign.

After 21 days of meetings and speeches across Algeria, campaigns for the country's upcoming double elections came to a close on Monday (November 26th). As polls prepare to open on Thursday, political party leaders are evaluating their success at motivating the electorate. Party spokespersons agree there has been a significant rise in public involvement over the campaign period.

"Unlike the electoral campaign for the legislative elections on May 17th, people are more motivated this time to get out and vote," said Tebal Nordine, vice-chairman of the national committee on local elections for the Movement of Society for Peace. He forecasted a large turn-out for the elections on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the FLN (National Liberation Front) demonstrated again that it is the top political force in the country, according to communications officer Said Bouhadja. "The packed rooms for public meetings organised by party leaders and candidates show that the majority of the people is for the FLN. It would be no exaggeration to say that we are the party which has got the most people out during this campaign," he declared.

He predicts that the FLN will take the majority of municipal and departmental assemblies at the end of the voting.

Ruling coalition party National Rally for Democracy also expects to earn several local seats in the election. Spokesman and deputy leader Miloud Chorfi said the party has based its campaign "on face-to-face meetings to raise the public’s awareness of their duty to vote."

For the Socialist Forces Front (FFS), which boycotted the last legislative ballot, the local elections are an opportunity for the party to prove that it represents the people. Secretary Karim Tabou said the FFS enjoys strong popular representation across the whole country and that the challenge was "to prevent predators from taking hold of local authorities."

"The FFS will have something to say at the elections," he added.

Taâzit Ramdane, a member of the national office of the Workers’ Party (PT), said his party’s candidates have based their campaign on explaining the party's programme for local development.

"We're convinced that the close work we have done during this campaign will bear fruit," he commented optimistically.

The FNA (Algerian National Front), chaired by Moussa Touati, hopes to repeat its experience in the legislative elections of May 17th, when it took 17 seats in parliament. Communications officer Dine Mohamed said, "We have struck a chord during this campaign. We are counting on the loyalty of our party workers to achieve better results than ever before."

Some parties, however, are worried about the partiality of the administration. For example, the communications officer for the Ennahda movement, Azzedine Djerafa, has called on election officials to guarantee a "credible and transparent ballot".

Despite their platform differences, candidates and parties share a fear that the voter apathy displayed in the May legislative elections, when nearly 60% boycotted the polls, will recur on Thursday.

The parties are calling on voters to turn out in force at polling stations, arguing that unlike the mandate for an MP, local problems directly concern people’s lives.