Algerian presidential candidate Youssef Ouchich to Al Jazeera Net: I look forward to maintaining the army’s neutrality and these are my pledges | Politics

Algeria- The candidate of the Socialist Forces Front for the presidential elections in Algeria, Youssef Ouchich, spoke about the continuation of negative aspects that undermine the course of the electoral process, most notably the failure of state representatives to adhere to neutrality, the bias of public media institutions, and the involvement of constitutional institutions in the campaign.

In contrast, the presidential candidate acknowledges other remarkable efforts to improve the integrity of the election, which prompts him to engage in promoting political principles and achieving the aspirations of the Algerian people, as he put it.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Youssef Oshish expressed his hope that the army would maintain its neutrality in the elections, which would positively reflect on respecting the will of the people and supporting the peaceful trend towards democracy.

In another context, the candidate confirmed his support for his Islamic banking program as part of a set of solutions to address the parallel market, also pledging to protect investors and freedom of trade.

Ouchish said that his country faces major challenges in the field of business climate, as the World Bank’s 2021 classification placed it in 157th place out of 190 countries.

In the field of national identity, the spokesman expressed his regret for what he considered to be “a significant delay in implementing the provisions of the Constitution enshrining the national and official character of the Amazigh language,” expressing his strict commitment to generalizing it in the various stages of the educational system, in parallel with its gradual imposition in state institutions and public facilities.

On the international side, the candidate declares his clear quest to build balanced relations with France, based on equality and common interests, rejecting the logic of monopoly and the tendency towards guardianship.

He also declared working to consolidate relations with emerging powers, but without sacrificing Algeria’s interests with Western countries or other poles.

Below is the text of the interview:

• You have boycotted several elections in recent decades, especially the presidential ones. Do you think that the 2024 presidential elections are different and include the conditions of open competition?

We entered these elections based on the premise that Algeria faces major risks and challenges from the security and strategic perspectives, which requires the mobilization of all active forces in society to defend the country’s security, unity and strategic interests.

The difficult situation in the Sahel and on all our borders forced us to give priority to the strategic dimension in our choice, instead of falling into tactical calculations that do not rise to the level of the historical moment.

Not to mention the stakes related to economic and social development and the restoration of politics and political activity in the country.

By entering the elections, we are working to restore respect for political work and preserve the spaces for democratic expression targeted by all parties.

Therefore, we see that the presidential elections constitute a station and an opportunity to achieve security on the one hand, and development that will allow the restoration of hope among citizens on the other hand, and will also free up energies to emerge from the state of aversion and frustration.

Despite the persistence of some negative aspects, such as the failure of some state representatives to adhere to neutrality, the bias of some public media institutions, and the involvement of constitutional institutions in the electoral campaign, we have also observed efforts to improve the integrity of the electoral process, and through our involvement we seek to participate in strengthening these principles and achieving the aspirations of the Algerian people.

• Do you think the army is neutral in this election?

The National People’s Army is a national institution, and its personnel, including soldiers, officers and senior officials, like other Algerian men and women, belong to various classes and popular groups in society. We look forward to the army maintaining its neutrality in the elections, which will positively reflect on respecting the will of the people and supporting the peaceful trend towards democracy.

• You strongly propose adopting decentralized administration, while some believe that the idea goes beyond expanding the powers of local administrations, in preparation for adopting the federal system in Algeria. Can you explain your complete vision?

We believe in giving greater powers to local administrations to enhance effectiveness and transparency, and we have been struggling for this for decades. What we seek is not necessarily achieved through the adoption of a federal system, but rather we seek to achieve strong and responsible local governance that contributes to balanced development in the various regions of the country.

Strategic planning will create prospects for integration and equity of opportunity.

• The Algerian constitution has adopted “Amazigh” as a national and official language since 2016, but its use remains limited so far. Will you seek to generalize it nationally in education and public space? What mechanisms do you propose to make this a success?

Unfortunately, we have recorded a significant delay in implementing the provisions of the Constitution enshrining the national and official character of the Amazigh language. To this day, the organic law specifying the methods and mechanisms for implementing Article 4 of the Constitution has not been issued, and the Amazigh Language Academy has not begun its work.

Since the official language in any country inevitably means that it must be taught and used in public facilities and at the level of state institutions, as well as in the media and all areas of the public sphere, we will seek to generalize the Amazigh language in the various stages of the educational system in parallel with its gradual generalization at the level of state institutions and public facilities.

This can be done by developing curricula, training teachers, and encouraging the media to use the Amazigh language. Recognizing Amazigh as an official language alongside Arabic requires the state to adopt a language policy that enshrines pluralism and makes it a factor for unity and the advancement of the nation.

• Algeria has adopted several educational reforms, with huge potential to advance education, but many experts still describe the Algerian school as “disaster-stricken”. Where does the flaw lie in your perception? What are your practical ideas for real reform?

We believe that the problem lies in the quality of curricula and teaching methods, and we will seek to reform the educational system by updating curricula and adopting the best and most effective ones, focusing on practical competencies, and investing in training teachers and professors, with better management of the financial resources allocated to the sector.

We will work to ensure that the school plays its role in building an Algerian citizen who loves his country and works for its renaissance. It will also play its role in preserving the intellectual and cultural security of our youth who are exposed to all types of infiltrations.

In my opinion, the term “failed school” is a pessimistic term that does not do justice to educators and teachers at all levels. There are indeed shortcomings that must be corrected and we have pointed them out, but we must not lose sight of the fact that Algerian schools and universities are competing with other countries for their graduates.

• As the youngest presidential candidate in the history of Algeria, while a significant segment of young people suffer from unemployment and social ills, and some of them even venture into irregular migration, what are your practical commitments to respond to the aspirations of these young people?

In general, we will work to create job opportunities by supporting entrepreneurship, stimulating investment in promising sectors, and we will seek to create training programs for young people that suit market needs.

With a young, dynamic population, this group must play a leading role in building the future of our nation.

To strengthen its position and make it a driver of economic development, the FFS candidate intends to make youth an absolute priority during his presidency, by implementing a series of the following strategic measures:

• Create a housing formula for working youth.
• Launching a national online platform to involve youth in decision-making and public policy-making processes.
• Providing grants and funding for youth-led research and innovation projects.
• Establishing business incubators and innovation centers for young entrepreneurs in youth structures.
• Strengthening training and vocational programmes to provide practical experience and job opportunities for young people.
• Establish career counselling services and facilitate job search to assist young people in their career path.
• Supporting cultural and sports projects that enable young people to express themselves and develop their talents in various fields.
• Encouraging young people to participate in volunteer projects that contribute to community development and social solidarity.
• Ensure equal access to economic and educational opportunities, regardless of the social or geographical origin of young people.
• Enhancing youth participation in community initiatives that have a positive impact on their local environment.

• Economists are betting on the success of Islamic banking in absorbing parallel market funds in Algeria. Will you support it if you succeed? What alternatives do you propose to address this radically?

We will support Islamic banking as part of a package of solutions to address the parallel market that hinders the emergence of a strong economy and a regulated market, and we will work to enhance transparency in the financial system, and launch awareness campaigns to integrate informal money into the formal economy.

We will also work to involve stakeholders to find solutions that preserve their interests and strengthen the state’s position, while giving utmost importance to preserving the dignity of the citizen by caring for his standard of living.

• The saying “We hear the noise but see no flour” applies to the investment situation in Algeria, as the registered projects and expected indicators give rise to great optimism, but the reality is still the same. How will you solve this problem?

It is related to the investment climate in our country. To remove obstacles, we will work to simplify bureaucratic procedures, improve the investment climate through supportive and transparent legislation, and improve the business climate in general.

Algeria faces major challenges in the field of business climate, which affects the competitiveness of its economy and hinders the development of the private sector. The World Bank’s “Doing Business” ranking for 2021 ranked Algeria 157th out of 190 countries, with worrying ratings.

In terms of investor protection, freedom of trade, tax burden, bureaucracy, and company establishment, administrative procedures are often complex, bureaucratic, and subject to delays. Urgent measures are needed to address this situation, attract foreign investment, and enhance the country’s economic competitiveness by:

• Reorganization of public economic companies to improve their efficiency, management and technological performance.
• Accelerating the process of digitizing administrative services.
• Simplify company establishment procedures.
• Ensuring the stability of the investment law.
• Decriminalize the act of management to encourage entrepreneurship.
• Strengthening anti-corruption mechanisms.
• Ensuring transparency in the award of public contracts and in commercial transactions.
• Establishing clusters and special economic zones to promote innovation and cooperation between companies.

• “Exporting outside of hydrocarbons and liberation from oil rents” is a slogan raised by successive governments for decades, but the numbers remain modest compared to the capabilities. What measures do you propose to achieve the deferred bet?

We will enhance non-oil sectors by supporting local industries, improving product quality, and encouraging international partnerships to diversify markets while benefiting from technology transfer and management skills.

Our economy is mainly dependent on the exploitation and export of hydrocarbons, as these resources represent a large part of the country’s revenues. The oil and gas sector represented 19% of GDP, 93% of commodity exports, and 38% of budget revenues between 2016 and 2021. This excessive dependence is a source of fragility for the national economy.

To ensure sustainable and balanced growth, Algeria must diversify its economy, in order to reduce its exposure to external shocks and ensure sustainable growth.

The Socialist Forces Front wants to adopt an integrated and multidimensional approach that includes structural reforms and strategic investments. Our goal is to replace the current rent-based economy with a production-based economy that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.

In this context, the Socialist Forces Front party candidate plans the following:

• Develop local value chains and alternative industries to reduce dependence on imports and increase the rate of industrial integration.
• Adopting a strategy to value mining products through developing the manufacturing industry.
• Strengthening the existing ecosystem for startups by establishing a national bank specializing in financing startups and small projects.
• Developing a knowledge economy that will enable diversification of the economy by offering new horizons, encouraging innovation, and stimulating the development of more diverse sectors.
• Encouraging the promotion and marketing of local products in local and international markets.
• Developing the industrial sector, especially high value-added industries, alternative industries, and the transformation industry.
• Modernizing the agricultural sector and encouraging industrial agriculture.

• Conservative forces in Algeria are making building normal relations with Paris conditional on settling past issues. What is your vision for the future prospects with a major country like France?

In France there are conservative forces that obstruct every attempt to build strong and serious relations with our country. Addressing memory files is not an obstacle to building normal relations but a foundation for them. Nazi and fascist racism have been condemned, but colonialism as a hideous human act has not been condemned.

Moreover, neocolonial powers unfortunately talk about the civilizing role of colonialism. Relations between states also have civilizational, historical, cultural and spiritual dimensions.

We will seek to build balanced relations with France based on equality and common interests, far from the logic of monopoly and the tendency towards guardianship.

Economic, cultural and political cooperation must be based on new foundations that give importance to the interests of each country.

• Observers defend Algeria’s orientation towards new and rising powers, such as China, Russia, the Asian Tigers and Turkey, at the expense of relations with Western countries. Do you see this approach as pragmatic and in the service of your country’s interests?

This is not the case, and the equation for us is not based on building relations with some parties at the expense of others. We support efforts to diversify international partnerships in a way that serves Algeria’s interests, and we will work to strengthen relations with emerging powers without sacrificing our relations with Western countries or other poles.

• Algeria lives in a tense and fragile geopolitical region, which makes it vulnerable to security depletion. What is your diplomatic and military vision for protecting national security and preserving Algeria’s vital interests in the region?

I mentioned this in the answer to your first question, and our vision focuses on strengthening diplomatic relations with neighboring countries in order to contribute to resolving internal crises that may affect us, in addition to renewing regional security and intelligence cooperation, with the continuous modernization of our military capabilities to protect national sovereignty and vital interests.

We will also work tirelessly to strengthen the internal front by involving the people in determining the fate of the nation and building an economy that preserves the dignity of every Algerian.