ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria’s Constitutional Council on Sunday canceled presidential elections that had been scheduled for July 4 after rejecting the only two candidates, stalling the transition into a new government after weeks of protests calling for change.
The announcement on television comes two months after the longtime leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down under pressure from the public and the powerful army chief. The council in the North African country said in a statement that it was now up to the interim president, Abdelkader Bensalah, to set a new date for the vote.
Only two candidates, both unknowns, had turned in their files by the May 25 deadline, but the Constitutional Council rejected them. It did not say why.
Presidential elections were ordered after the ailing Mr. Bouteflika stepped down on April 2 after weeks of nationwide protests in the streets to end his two-decade rule.
The cancellation of elections will most likely extend the rule of Mr. Bensalah, who was meant to stay on until the vote to elect a new president.
Algerians have continued to hold weekly pro-democracy protests since Feb. 22 to press for a new era with new leadership that has no links to Mr. Bouteflika. On Friday, hundreds of thousands again took to the streets of Algiers and other cities to call for Mr. Bensalah’s removal and that of Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, who was appointed by Mr. Bouteflika before he stepped down.
The developments came a week after the country’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Gaed Salah, who has been managing the transition, said on state television on Monday that elections were the best way to overcome Algeria’s political crisis and avoid a constitutional vacuum.
He had also urged speeding up the formation of a committee to supervise the election, without mentioning a date for the vote. He has also called on political parties and protesters to meet among themselves to discuss a way out of the crisis.
Analysts say the army, a major player in the oil-and-gas-producing country, is concerned about the crisis continuing at a time when instability is worsening in neighboring Libya, where rival forces are fighting over the capital, Tripoli.
Source : Nytimes
