Algeria’s 2019 Presidential Elections Clouded by Bouteflika’s Unclear Prospects
Algeiran President Abdelaziz Bouteflika during a swearing-in ceremony in Algiers April 28, 2014. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina/File Photo
Algeria’s media and the country’s political sphere, whether pro-government or opposition, have lately been focused on the upcoming 2019 presidential elections and the current President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's future in power.
Bouteflika stepping down from rule is a bet placed on his health condition taking an irretraceable course—the Tunisian president has a history of brain strokes that at times cost him control over most of his senses and placed him on a wheelchair.
Since then, the Algerian president has not been directly involved in public engagements and has missed his very own presidential campaign in 2014. Former Prime Minister Abdelmalek Salal took charge as Bouteflika’s campaign director.
It is worth noting that when performing the national oath, Bouteflika failed to read a full paragraph, leaving the impression that he would have great difficulty in fulfilling responsibilities during his fourth mandate.
And since his re-election Bouteflika, 80, has appeared rarely in public and usually only in state news images with visiting dignitaries, at times raising serious doubts on whether he will be able to finish his term.
But despite Bouteflika's shortcoming, four major parties in the “pro-government bloc” insist that the current president serves best the natural course of the country.
They argue that no one can lead Algeria in its coming stage but Bouteflika. The bloc comprises parties like National Liberation Front, headed by Bouteflika himself and the National Rally for Democracy, led by Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia.
“I do not think the president will disappoint citizens who called on him to end the nationwide construction, a process which he started in 1999. He will once again come through for Algeria,” National Liberation Front FLN secretary-general Djamel Ould Abbes told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Taking into consideration Bouteflika suffering painful health conditions, loyalists perceive his stay in power as a sacrifice on his behalf for both the sake of the country and settling “difficult security and economic conditions facing Algeria.”
“You asked me to carry on with the march even though you noticed that I was no longer able to lead, and I decided to bow before your wishes and come forth for Algeria, the country for which I sacrificed my youth,” Bouteflika had said in his speech on the eve of 2014 presidential elections.
If Bouteflika does not opt for a fifth stay in office, Algerian third-party observers expect that the same bloc would remain in power. The next coming president will likely be chosen from a score of candidates running for the election, such as PM Ahmed Ouyahia, former PM Abdelmalek Sellal and former Energy Minister Chakib Khelil.
Rumors spun around the Vice Minister of Defense Ahmed Gaid Salah becoming the head the Algerian government.
Salah has purportedly acknowledged a desire to replace Bouteflika.
He told his close associates, “It was done by Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt, why not me ?!"
Iraq Moving Forward with Imposing State Monopoly over Weaponshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5279955-iraq-moving-forward-imposing-state-monopoly-over-weapons
Iraq Moving Forward with Imposing State Monopoly over Weapons
The Coordination Framework expressed its support for government efforts to impose state monopoly over weapons. (X)
Iraq is stepping up its measures to impose state monopoly over weapons with some Shiite armed factions declaring that they were dismantling their military wings that have for years operated outside the control of the armed forces even though they are part of the official Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
On Monday, the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework tasked Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi with taking the necessary measures and decisions to “preserve the country’s supreme interests”.
It backed efforts to “impose state monopoly over arms and disengage the PMF from political, partisan and societal frameworks.”
The Coordination Framework is a coalition of Shiite parties and armed factions with varying ties to Iran.
Zaidi attended Monday’s meeting that also said that the decision of war and peace “is a sovereign one that is exclusively controlled by the people of Iraq through their constitutional institutions represented by the government and elected parliament.”
The statement was an implicit rejection of some factions’ involvement in the US-Israeli war on Iran, on Tehran’s side, after they carried out attacks without first referring to the government. It slammed such attacks as “illegal and unconstitutional.”
Moreover, the statement said the PMF is an “official security institution that is bound to the constitution and laws and orders of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.”
US Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Joshua Harris welcomed the Framework’s statement, saying it was a step forward in consolidating independence and sovereignty for a promising future for Iraq.
Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qassim al-Araji met with Harris on Tuesday, saying: “We underscored the importance of supporting the government’s efforts to ensure that arms remain exclusively under state authority.”
“We also welcomed the Coordination Framework’s position on this issue and its contribution to strengthening stability, reinforcing state authority, and upholding the rule of law,” he added in a post on X.
“We reaffirmed Iraq’s steadfast commitment to peaceful approaches in addressing crises and conflicts, in accordance with international law and diplomatic norms, in a manner that promotes regional and international peace and stability,” he stressed.
An official source in the Framework told Asharq Al-Awsat that disengaging the PMF from political and social frameworks aims to the steer it away from the “control of political leaderships and therefore, prevent it from being dismantled or restructured.”
It explained that American demands for the disarmament of factions also target the PMF seeing as most of the armed groups operate within it. So, the Framework’s statement on Tuesday may have been a preemptive step against demands for the PMF’s restructuring.
Mourners attend the funeral of members of the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah who were killed in an airstrike that targeted a PMF headquarters near the western al‑Qaim district on the Syrian border, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Two factions to disarm
In a related development, the Asaib Ahl al-Haq, one of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed armed groups, announced on Tuesday that it would begin putting its weapons under government control.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq said it had formed a committee to oversee the move, including an inventory of its fighters, weapons and equipment, and to coordinate with the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The group cast the decision as a response to calls by Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority and the Framework.
The Kataib Imam Ali faction also said on Tuesday that it was disengaging from the PMF and taking steps to limit weapons to the state.
In a statement, it said the move complies with the demand of the Framework and stems from its “national responsibility” and aims to “bolster national unity.”
In contrast, the Ashab al-Kahf group, which is part of the so-called “Islamic Resistance”, rejected on Tuesday calls for the disarmament of factions.
“Claims that the higher religious authority backs these efforts are baseless,” it charged.
The Kataib Hezbollah and Nujaba movement continue to reject calls to lay down their weapons.
Meanwhile, leader of the Hikma Movement Ammar al-Hakim said the factions are waiting until September to take a “decisive” step on disarmament.
September is the deadline for anti-ISIS international forces to withdraw from Iraq in line with an agreement reached with former PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani last year.
Observers have said that the disarmament process still lacks clarity, explaining that the leaders of these groups are taking the decisions while the official authorities are not playing a clear role in overseeing that they are being implemented.
Questions also remain about the size of their arsenal and whether they will indeed turn them over to the government authorities.
Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qassim al-Araji and US Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Joshua Harris meet on Tuesday. (Al-Araji on X)
Different views
Expert on Shiite groups Ibrahim al-Abadi said it was unlikely that the armed groups will comply with the Framework’s demand to disarm.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said the factions that possess weapons are divided over the state monopoly over weapons.
One group believes that it has no interest in keeping the weapons as the cost has become too high given the US sanctions and the ensuing economic, financial and political losses it will incur, he explained.
This group believes that it has succeeded in “employing the ideology of weapons to achieve its financial and political ambitions. Its goals now do not sustain the ability to maintain the weapons, which are seen as an obstacle to reaching higher positions in power.”
“So, it believes that it is in its best interest to lay down some of the weapons and turn its partisan members into employees that can run their financial empire. This group now tries to curry favor with the Americans, sending them messages and seeking to end the enmity with the US,” he revealed.
“The second group is fearful of the future and wants to keep the weapons as a bargaining chip to keep positions and gains reaped throughout the years they used these weapons to acquire these gains,” he continued.
“So, this group refuses to lay down its arms. However, it will not be able to withstand internal and foreign pressure, and it is weighing the high risks of such a confrontation,” al-Abadi said.
“The third group openly declares its allegiance to the Iranian project and doesn’t even discuss disarmament. It believes that the American project is targeting the resistance forces in the region,” he remarked.
“It is using religious, political and ideological excuses to justify its defiance of the state’s decision to impose monopoly over arms,” he added.
Egypt Stresses Importance of Strengthening Political, Economic Ties with the UShttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5279953-egypt-stresses-importance-strengthening-political-economic-ties-us
Egypt Stresses Importance of Strengthening Political, Economic Ties with the US
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi stressed the centrality of coordination and consultation between Egypt and America (Egyptian Presidency)
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has stressed Cairo’s “appreciation for the strategic relations binding Egypt and the United States” and called for enhancing bilateral ties across various fields.
El-Sisi met on Tuesday with a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, comprising the Chair, Elizabeth Berns Korn, and Chief Executive Officer William Daroff.
The meeting was attended by Egyptian Director of the General Intelligence Service Major General Hassan Rashad.
Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy stated that during the meeting, El-Sisi “emphasized Egypt’s appreciation for the strategic relations binding Egypt and the United States.”
He “underscored the pivotal nature of the close coordination and consultations between the two countries in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East and addressing shared challenges, particularly terrorism and extremist ideology.”
“The President also stressed the need to continue boosting bilateral relations across various political, economic, and investment fields,” said El-Shennawy.
According to his statement, the members of the delegation praised the strategic bilateral relationship between Cairo and Washington, and valued Egypt’s efforts to preserve peace and stability in the Middle East.
The meeting touched on regional developments, and members of the delegation were briefed on the Egyptian President’s vision for achieving regional stability.
El-Sisi highlighted Egypt’s efforts aimed at de-escalating the current tensions and supporting the path of ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran to end the current crisis, thereby avoiding its economic and political repercussions on the region and the world.
According to El-Shennawy, El-Sisi further stressed the significance of a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian cause, in line with international resolutions and based on the two-state solution.
“This is considered the only way to ensure lasting peace and stability in the Middle East, given that the Palestinian cause remains the central cause of the Arab world,” the spokesman quoted El-Sisi as saying.
The delegation members praised the President’s vision for achieving stability in the Middle East, and reaffirmed the centrality of Egyptian-American relations and the ongoing coordination between the two countries to maintain regional peace.
Tunisia: Ennahdha Leader Ghannouchi Handed Life Imprisonmenthttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5279930-tunisia-ennahdha-leader-ghannouchi-handed-life-imprisonment
Tunisia: Ennahdha Leader Ghannouchi Handed Life Imprisonment
Tunisia's Ennahdha party chief Rached Ghannouchi after leaving court. File photo
Several officials of Tunisia's Ennahdha party, including its chief Rached Ghannouchi, were handed jail sentences on Tuesday ranging from 10 years to life in prison on terror charges.
Ghannouchi and other Ennahdha leaders were accused of establishing a "secret security apparatus" in service of the party which won the post-revolution elections in 2011.
Ghannouchi was handed 30 years in prison plus life imprisonment, Tunisian media said, with reports on the sentences confirmed by the party.
Retired military officer Kamel ben Bedoui also received a life sentence along with 32 years in prison, according to reports.
And former prime minister Ali Laarayedh was sentenced to 42 years in prison, reports added.
He has been detained since 2022 and has also been convicted in a separate case for allegedly helping send militants to Iraq and Syria.
Ghannouchi was speaker of parliament at the time of President Kais Saied's power grab in the summer of 2021.
He was arrested in 2023 and received several sentences in separate cases totaling over 40 years in prison including over "conspiracy against state security" prior to Tuesday's ruling.
Ennahdha on Tuesday said the ruling "lacked the most basic conditions for justice.”
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