Algerian opposition leader presses for international election observers

30/03/2008

RCD party chief Said Saadi has returned from an international tour to solicit observers for Algeria's presidential elections next spring. Some politicians view Saadi's move as an early indication of his likely candidacy. Others oppose the measure, arguing that foreign observers call Algeria's reputation and sovereignty into question.

By Said Jameh for Magharebia in Algiers – 30/03/08

[Getty Images] Opposition leader Said Saadi returned from meetings in France and the United States with calls for foreign election observers at the 2009 presidential elections. Some say Saadi means to present his candidacy.

Algeria's presidential elections are still a year away, but one opposition party has already begun the battle. In recent weeks, the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) has mounted a vigorous campaign to demand election transparency and to oppose a constitutional amendment which would allow President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run for a third presidential term.

Following a week-long tour of Europe and North America earlier this month, RCD party leader Said Saadi gave a televised interview to Al-Hurra on Thursday (March 20th) in which he called for international observers at next spring's presidential elections. RCD communications co-ordinator Mohcine Belabas told Magharebia that Saadi's meetings with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US State Department officials were part of an effort to guarantee fair elections.

Saadi also made an implicit reference to the National Liberation Front's one-party rule of the country from independence in 1962 until 1989, warning that approving the constitutional amendment would be "a regression to unilateral thinking".

Saadi has run for president in the past and remains popular in the largely Berber Kabilya region.

Although Saadi did not explicitly announce an intention to run for president, some political observers in Algeria view his foreign tours and his call for international election observers as an early indication he will present his candidacy.

"It is obvious," political observer Kamal Amarni insisted, "that such tours are planned as part of preparations for the next presidential elections." Aside from the issue of whether Saadi's recent activity is part of an as-yet undeclared political campaign, Amarni said he felt the call for international observers to ensure transparency is valid.

"We must be unequivocal about this whole affair. Algeria is on the threshold of an important event. I think that without international pressure on the Algerian regime, it will not refrain from its infamous tricks in its handling elections of such magnitude," Amarni said.

Ahd 54 party chief Ali Faouizi Rebaine said he "does not have anything against" inviting international observers for the 2009 elections. Speaking during a party meeting last Thursday (March 27th), Rebaine stressed, however, that a national observatory commission with representatives of each candidate should be appointed before bringing in any foreign observers.

Parties supporting President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, meanwhile, opposed Saadi's call for international observers, claiming that the president has not yet announced his intention to run for a third term.

Louisa Hanoune, Secretary-General of the Workers’ Party, argued that the RCD plan will open the door to foreign intervention in Algeria's national affairs. She said the presence of foreign observers affects Algeria's reputation and sovereignty and questions its capacity to organise free and fair elections.

Apart from Ali Faouzi Rebaine, who obtained less than 1% of votes in the 2004 elections, no politician in Algeria has announced plans to run for the presidency in 2009.