A second opposition party has raised political tensions in oil-rich Algeria by quitting the presidential race and accusing authorities of preparing fraudulent elections in April. The Socialist Forces Front (FFS) joined on Saturday a growing list of parties calling for a boycott on 8 April. This would be a repeat of 1999 when all candidates apart from Abd al-Aziz Boutaflika, backed by the powerful military, pulled out, citing fraudulent conditions. President Boutaflika, a former foreign minister, has pledged a free and fair ballot. He recently invited foreign election observers and called on state media to give candidates more air time on radio and television networks. "The FFS considers it politically irresponsible and morally indecent to go ahead with an election that only serves the regime, the mafia circles and those benefiting from the oil sector," the FFS said in a statement received on Saturday.
| Makes you wonder how long the carcasse of Algeria is going to stink before something actually happens... |
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