The presidential meeting on September 7 is arousing everyone’s desire. Formerly reserved for seasoned politicians, the presidential election now attracts people from diverse backgrounds.
The phenomenon which began since the 2014 election, where Algerians witnessed queues in front of the Ministry of the Interior at the time, for the withdrawal of subscription forms with the result of posing in front of the cameras private channels and a few statements, is repeated this time.
The president of the Independent National Electoral Authority (ANIE), Mohamed Charfi, communicated, last Sunday, the number of 26 candidates for candidacy who approached his body to proceed with the withdrawal of the documents necessary to collect the signatures of voters or elected officials.
Of all these candidates for candidacy, only less than ten are known to the general public. These include leaders of well-known political parties and certain activists. Who are the others ? Where do they come from ? Do they really intend to reach the highest office?
Are they able to collect the quota of sponsorships required by law (a minimum of 50,000 signatures of voters or 600 signatures of elected officials)? While waiting to know the identity of all of these citizens attracted by the presidential election, it is certain that the overwhelming majority will not reappear on July 18, the deadline for the submission of candidacy files, in front of the headquarters of the ‘ANIE.
This was the case during the two previous presidential elections (2014 and 2019) where, out of several dozen people who collected subscription forms, only the “most serious” were able to submit their applications and validate their commitment to the race. It turned out that the majority were rather “extravagant individuals” and “social phenomena”, whose gesture requires study.
What makes them run? We do not know anything. But their political ambition is causing the country to lose money. Because the 1.3 million forms distributed so far by ANIE cost colossal sums of money, which will go up in smoke, because these forms will neither be returned nor used by those concerned.
Furthermore, the president of ANIE affirmed that he had taken measures in response to complaints from certain candidates for candidacy who denounced administrative and technical constraints which slowed down the signature collection operation. The Workers’ Party (PT) raised this issue last Friday in a letter addressed to Mohamed Charfi.
PT complaints heard
Louisa Hanoune’s training mentioned “the internet cuts during the week dedicated to the baccalaureate exams”, “the absence at town hall level of agents responsible for legalizing the forms signed by voters” and “the absence of permanence during the three days of Eid and on weekends at the APC level in order to allow the signing of the said forms.
Describing these demands as “legitimate”, the first head of ANIE affirmed that “from now on the 4903 points of legalization of signatures will also work on Fridays and public holidays”. According to him, “the closing hours of these offices, which are open in the morning from 8 a.m. are extended until 10 p.m.”.
