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Nahnah Calls for U.S.-Led Campaign against Ballot Rigging
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Sheikh
Mahfouz Nahnah
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By
Wesam Fouad, IOL Cairo Bureau
ALGIERS,
June 8 (IslamOnline) – Head of Algerian Movement for Society of
Peace (MSP) Saturday called for an international front, led by the
United States, in line with its declared war on terrorism, to combat
electoral fraud by governments.
Sheikh
Mahfouz Nahnah, in a live dialogue with IslamOnline Friday, June 7,
that MSP presented well-established legal complaints to the
Constitutional Council, concerning the government’s involvement in
directing the results of Parliamentary elections on May 31.
Official
results gave the National Liberation Front (FLN), led by Prime
Minister Ali Binflis, sweeping majority, 199 seats out of 389.
National Democratic Rally (RND) came second with 48 seats. 43 went to
seats to the moderate Islamist Movement for National Reform (MRN), and
38 to the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP).
“It
was not my movement that lost ground in the last elections, popular
participation did. The lowest turn-out in four decades reflected
Algerians’ loss of hope for real change,” Nahnah charged.
“Terrorism
is no more dangerous than electoral fraud. Both are used to forge
peoples’ will, and used to stick to power, no matter what. That’s
why we call for establishing a world front to combat ballot rigging.
The United States can lead that front, as it does with the campaign on
terror,” the Algerian leader said.
Immediately
after the results were officially announced, political parties in
Algeria contested the results of the elections. The MSP said it was
studying "with interest and vigilance the conditions surrounding
the organization and holding of the vote".
Just
over 46 percent of the 18 million eligible Algerians to vote, both
resident in the country and overseas, cast their ballots - making for
the lowest turnout since independence.
“Most
observers agreed that those who did not cast their ballots were
supporters of MSP,” Nahnah said.
He,
however, asserted that the MSP was, and still, ready to cooperate with
any one and any party capable of resolving the Algerian crisis.
“Our
movement was formed, originally, to preserve the unity and continuity
of the state, not letting it go down under the pressures of terrorism
and conspiracies of outer powers. Participation, in spite of all the
negative elements, is the way of civilized people and the first step
toward establishing real democracy,” Nahnah said.
Answering
a question on MSP’s participation in political life and its role in
giving legality to a regime accused of fraud to hinge on to
power, Nahnah said he was “pleased to participate in giving legality
to the Algerian regime, before the people and the international
community”.
However,
he added that it was important for that regime “not to be associated
with jumping over the aspirations of the people or in conflict with
our assets, on top of which is Islam”.
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