Algeria: Opposition party boycotts presidential election for harassment & unfair electoral competition

Algeria’s opposition party, the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), has announced its decision to boycott the upcoming presidential election of Sept.07 due to lack of fair & free electoral competition and growing crackdown on political activists and journalists.

In a statement published Monday July 8 by Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the party leader, Othman Mazouz deplored the restrictions imposed by Algerian authorities on freedom of expression and assembly, saying his party has decided not to participate in the upcoming vote.

The party’s stand confirms the alarming reports released by international human rights organizations which have called on Algerian regime to release all human rights militants imprisoned for the exercise of their freedom of expression, opinion, and association.

They have also urged the Algerian regime to stop intimidating and targeting political opponents, denouncing the violation of their freedom of movement and the excessive use by the authorities of the terrorism law to build bogus cases against vocal critics to toss them in prison.

Algeria’s presidential election of 2019 was marred by mass boycott, record low turnout and violent clashes between police and pro-democracy protesters, casting doubts over the legitimacy of the vote derided as a sham.