Algeria Opposition Warns of 'State Collapse' if No Change
A coalition of Algerian opposition parties has vowed to pursue its struggle for "real" regime change, warning Wednesday that the existing political impasse will cause the state to collapse.
The coalition of three Islamist parties and two others, including the fiercely secular Rally for Culture and Democracy, made its pledge at a meeting Tuesday attended by other opposition groupings and former prime ministers.
It comes less than two months after the re-election of 77-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, whose poor health forced him to vote in a wheelchair and has caused many to question whether he will see out his fourth term in office.
The coalition, which boycotted the election, vowed "to continue its struggle for a real change, one that will establish the sovereignty of the people as well as their freedom to choose their leaders."
The parties said their announcement came after "observing the (political) crisis and the certainty that the country's current impasse will lead to the collapse of the state."
They urged Algeria's leadership "not to miss the historic opportunity... to respond positively" to their call for a democratic transition.
Those attending the meeting included members of the now-banned Islamic Salvation Front and the Socialist Forces Front.
Also present were three ex-premiers -- Ali Benflis, Ahmed Benbitour and Mouloud Hamrouche. Benflis, who ran against Bouteflika in April, has refused to recognize his rival's victory with more than 80 percent of the vote.
The government swiftly rejected the coalition's call for change.
Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, who headed Bouteflika's election campaign, said the people had re-elected their president in a democratic process, and insisted that Algeria had "strong institutions" and "no need for a transition period."
Source: Agence France Presse
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