As Algerian Elections Approach, Quota Set for Female Candidates

Interior Minister Dahou Ould Kablia described the fatwa issued by the Scientific Council of the Ibadi Confession in Ghardaia forbidding the nomination of women in local elections in the province as an “internal fatwa that concerns a particular community.''

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Summary : Algerian political parties have submitted their electoral lists for the landmark elections later this year, reports Uthman Lihyani. Addressing a fatwa forbidding the nomination of women candidates, Algeria's interior minister has warned that any electoral list failing to meet a quota for women candidates would be excluded for the elections. Publisher: El-Khabar (Algeria) Original Title: One Billion to Cover the Election [Expenses], Exclusion of Lists Which Do Not Include Women; Interior Minister Orders Security Not to Summon Candidates Author: Uthman Lihyani First Published: October 18, 2012 Posted on: October 20 2012 Translated by: Naria Tanoukhi Categories : Algeria

At a press conference held yesterday [Oct. 17] on the sidelines of the installment of the Independent Electoral Commission, the interior minister said that “the Interior Ministry agencies will act according to the law, and any electoral list which does not include the stipulated number of women candidates will be excluded.”

He announced the allocation of 7 billion dinars ($88.6 million) to cover the expenses of the elections, saying that the number of registered voters in the electoral lists has reached 6.2 million voters since Mar. 31, in addition to 990,000 voters registered abroad.

Kablia noted the registration of over 500,000 new voters and the cancellation and writing-off of 230,000 voters. He announced that he will be meeting on Saturday [Oct. 20] with the heads of departments, organizers and managers of local administrations to ensure the neutrality of the administration.

Kablia said that he gave orders to the security agencies to "only summon candidates whose names are on the list and who threaten public order, not to call them in [for issues] relating to their candidacy, so that the summoning would not have a political nature.''

He said that there are fears of the possible domination of one or two parties over all the local and provincial councils, since the law stipulates that a party must receive at least 7% of the vote to win a seat.

Kablia said: ''Many things must be addressed in the future because the amendments made by the MPs on the electoral law turned it into a law with incoherent articles, and these amendments were made for partisan purposes rather than to serve political action.”

Kablia denied the presence of any legal impediment to the collective registration of military personnel and joint agencies. He said that the agreement signed between the ministries of Defense and Interior stipulated the need to supplement the registration of any army member with a document that confirms his cancellation from the previous list.

Kablia noted that 52 out of 57 licensed political parties have provided lists. Five parties did not participate: the ruling Movement for Justice and Development (MAJD) and the Front of Change (FC) — which announced boycotting the elections — in addition to the Rally for Algeria's Hope (TAJ) and the Political Mediator Party (Al-Waseet). The interior minister announced the prohibition of four parties from participating in the elections because of their internal differences.

The minister said that the National Liberation Front (FLN) submitted 1520 lists out of 1541 municipalities; the National Rally for Democracy (RND) came second with 1477 lists, followed by the Algerian Popular movement led by Amara Ben Younis with 532 lists.

Next came the Workers' Party with 521 lists; the LFN with 472 lists; then the Future Front with 340 lists, followed by the Movement for the Society of Peace (MSP) with 323 lists, the Socialist Forces Front (FFS) with 319 lists, the Green Algeria coalition with 314 lists, the New Dawn Party with 276 lists, the Freedom and Justice Party with 179 lists and the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) with 163 lists. The lowest participation was by the National Movement for Nature and Development (MNND) with only two lists.

Concerning the provincial councils — in which 615 lists were submitted, including nine lists for independents — the RND covered all states with 48 lists, followed by the FLN with 47 lists after its list was rejected in Ain Defla province, followed by the Workers' Party with 43 lists, and the LFN with 38 lists. Meanwhile, the MSP has participated in 24 states, the FFS in 22 states and the RCD in 10 states. Kablia noted the allocation of 4313 facilities for the elections — including 983 stadiums — which will be launched on Nov. 4, 2012.

Mohammed Siddiqui, representative of the Ahd 54 party, was elected as head of the independent national committee for monitoring the elections. Siddiqui obtained a total of 12 votes against four competitors: head of the Good Governance Front (FBG) Issa Belhadi with 10 votes, head of the Constitutional Rally Party Sassi Mabrouk with eight votes, head of the Youth Party Hamana Bu Sharma with three votes and head of the Al-Wifaq Movement Ali Bu Khazna, who did not win any votes.