Brussels, 02/08/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 1 August, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci met Ignacio Sanchez Salafranca (EPP, Spain), the head of the EU observation team to the general election that was held on 10 May of this year. At their meeting Sanchez Salafranca officially handed over the EU team's final report.
The report provides an “in-depth”, “detailed” and “impartial” assessment of the electoral process and suggests recommendations for future elections, including the local elections in 2012 and the presidential election in 2014, said the EU Mission to Algeria in a press release.
Medelci gave Sanchez Salafranca his assurance that “the report and the recommendations it contains will be carefully studied by the relevant Algerian authorities”, said Amar Belani, spokesperson for the Algerian Foreign Ministry, report the Algérie Presse Service (APS). Belani said, too, that the minister had thanked Sanchez Salafranca for the “endeavours and quality of work” of the EU team, underlining that “this cooperation demonstrates the desire to strengthen the bonds of confidence and dialogue with the EU as a strategic partner of Algeria”.
Sanchez Salafranca, who is visiting Algeria from 1 to 5 August also met the head of the Constitutional Council, Tayeb Belaiz on Wednesday. Belaiz thanked the team of EU observers for their work.
The final report on the general election will be made public on Sunday 5 August at a press conference with Sanchez Salafranca in Algiers on Sunday 5 August.
Two parties dominated the election of 10 May: the National Liberation Front (FNL) and the National Democratic Rally. 500 international observers, including those from the EU, monitored the conduct of the election. The outcome of the election provoked a storm of protest among the parties that were defeated, including the Islamist Green Alliance (AVV), which is challenging the result. Other political groupings have decided to boycott discussions in the new People's National Assembly (APN) in protest at the results of an election which they claimed to have been “rigged”. (OL/transl.rt)