The commission in charge of supervising the elections (CNSEL)
has publicly criticised Ahmed Ouyahia of misusing his position
as prime minister in his electoral campaign as head of the RND. In what the
commission regards as a clear-cut conflict of interest, it says that Ouyahia is
deploying his position and access to state power in electioneering, giving
himself an unfair advantage over competitors.
At a press conference, Mohammed Sidikki , the
president of the CNSEL, accused the prime minister of “serious
infractions”. He gave the example of the welcome given to Ouyahia by the
wali of El Oued, who mobilised his administration and put local
services – including transport – at the disposal of the campaigning politician;
advantages not enjoyed by his electoral rivals. “The law is clear in this
instance. The wali is the representative of the state, and as such, he cannot be
used as a political propaganda tool by anyone,” said Sidikki. Sidikki also
hit out at Ouyahia's arrogance, criticising his campaign speeches in which he
declared that “all the achievements” in Algeria were thanks to him. “He
should be the first to know that everything that has been achieved in this
country is thanks to the hydrocarbons wealth,” noted Sidikki, adding that
if Ouyahia did not stop this kind of campaigning, the legal authorities would
intervene to force him.
Sidikki's interventions add a welcome frankness to the
electoral campaign, and seem to underline further how much the prime minister is
reviled among certain Algerians. Online comments on this story include: “Mr
Ouyahia does not think anything is beyond dictatorship and the abuse of power,
he has never respected the people” and the cynical observation that
“you have not understood that Ouyahia is the republic”.
For more news and expert analysis about Algeria, please see Algeria Focus and Algeria Politics & Security.
© 2012 Menas Associates
No comments:
Post a Comment