Polls opened in Algeria on Sunday in a referendum on constitutional changes while President Abdelmadjid Tebboune remain hospitalized in Germany since last week after his aides had tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement late on Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of Algeria’s war of independence from France, read out on his behalf, Tebboune urged people to vote.
He said that Algerians will once again "have a rendezvous with history" to bring in a "new era capable of fulfilling the hopes of the nation and the aspirations of our people for a strong, modern and democratic state."
Meanwhile, the Head of the Algerian National Independent Authority for Elections, which includes over 23 million voters, said that the bloc took full control over the authority in charge of organizing and monitoring the elections, stressing that the interior ministry is no longer dominating it.
In a statement to state radio on Saturday, Mohamed Charfi affirmed that for the first time since Algeria’s independence, the list of voters will be managed and controlled by the Authority rather than the Interior Ministry.
Parties and candidates mostly complain about fraud in the elections and accuse the Interior Ministry of “manipulating the votes.”
During the past few days, the two Islamic Justice and Development Front and the Movement of Society for Peace parties claimed that the government had prevented their leaders from campaigning for the "no" vote on the draft constitutional amendment. They said the government didn’t authorize gatherings to take place in different states, while paving the way for those who support the event, such as ministers and parties close to the government.
Leader in the Justice and Development Front Lakhdar Benkhelaf told Asharq Al-Awsat that Chrafi’s authority is powerless in terms of organizing the elections.
He said it failed to fulfill its pledges on the opposition’s participation in the quotas for the constitution’s propaganda on state television, due to the “government’s tendency to shut the opposing voices for this referendum.”
The rate of voting on the referendum in mobile offices (nomadic areas), which kicked off on Thursday, has amounted to 11 percent, considering it a “qualitative leap” compared to the presidential elections that took place in late 2019.
Under the referendum campaign, 1,905 gatherings were organized, with an average of 250 citizens taking part in each gathering, the official explained, noting that it is a significant figure in light of the exceptional circumstances due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Some opposition parties “were late in submitting their request to participate in the referendum campaign, and even some of the major parties submitted their requests after the specified deadlines.”
Chrafi, who is a former justice minister during Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s rule, said he sets hope on the maturity of Algerians to overcome the first step of change in Algeria, calling for a high turnout in the election.
