Algeria’s military official stresses right of individuals to vote

Days before the parliamentary elections, General Kaid Saleh, Deputy Minister of Defense of Algeria and Commander of the Army Staff, renewed the military's desire to remove suspicions about the channeling of the votes of its members in favor of the parties of the authority. He said, he said, "The duty of citizenship requires the members of the Algerian army to carry out their electoral duties outside the barracks in accordance with the laws of the Republic and in accordance with the measures taken in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior.”

The Deputy Minister of Defense followed the footsteps of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, calling the election date "important", a very vital national event for the Algerian people, which comes after the recent constitutional amendment initiated by the first judge of the country.

General Saleh assured the Algerian people about securing the upcoming parliamentary elections. He said that all security measures have been taken to secure the legislative elections scheduled to be held on May 4.

He added, “Despite the increasing problems witnessed in the southern area of the country due to the existence of extremist groups, The Algerian people should believe that the Algerian borders will not be a source of chaos and will not be a source any threats against the Algerian people. We work to achieve only one objective which is to protect the stability and security of our country.”

He said, “The individuals of Algeria’s military institution will vote during the coming elections, as they will cast their votes in the polling stations outside the military barracks.” He stressed that such a decision will allow the military individuals participate in the parliamentary freely and transparently with their fellow citizens.

The decision to allow the military individuals during the coming parliamentary elections raised a state of controversy among the politicians, as many of them called the government to neutralize the military institution from the political process.

The message of the Algerian army chief of staff carried positive indications about the neutrality of the army in the upcoming elections, which some considered as a response to the fears of political parties about directing the governmental wires, including the army, security forces and civil defense, to vote the parties loyal to the Algerian authority.

Algerian Interior Minister Noureddine Badawi defended the vote of Algerian military officials, saying that they were Algerians and had the right, like others, to vote. He said, in his speech before the General Assembly, that the individuals working with the military and security institutions should express their opinions freely and transparently, while their vote will be out of the military barracks.