“This irresponsible decision is capable of pushing our country further into political, economic and social crisis,” it said in a statement received by AFP. If re-elected, he would set up an “inclusive national conference” to address “political, economic and social” issues and “propose an enrichment of the constitution”, APS reported. Former prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal — who ran the incumbent’s successful presidential bids in 2004, 2009 and 2014 — has once again been named campaign manager. – Health not ‘an obstacle’ –Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia has said Bouteflika’s health is not “an obstacle” to performing presidential duties. For the last presidential election in 2014, Bouteflika had only declared his intention to run a few days ahead of the deadline.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 10, 2019 20:26 UTC