The Head of State, Abdelkader Bensalah on Sunday advocated an "intelligent, constructive and good faith" dialogue, “the only way to build a fruitful consensus, as broad as possible, so as to provide the appropriate conditions to hold the presidential election within the agreed deadlines.
In a speech to the Nation on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan, Bensalah said that this election is "the only way for the country to emerge permanently and durably from political and institutional instability.”
This call is addressed to "all stakeholders, components of the political class, the movements that structure civil society and all those who are considered as expressing the feelings of a fringe of society, or its elites, inside and abroad, especially young people and women, to mobilize for the achievement of this national strategic objective, as the only way to lead our country towards a safe and prosperous future.”
In fact, a President of the Republic chosen through an indisputable election will enjoy "all the necessary legitimacy and all the prerogatives required to give concrete expression to the deep aspiration for change and meet all legitimate popular demands", he said.
According to Bensalah, the modalities for organizing, monitoring and supervising these elections in all phases of preparation, conduct and result must be "at the heart of this dialogue and the subject of a broad consensus.”
“This option the only one capable of leading our country towards a secure and prosperous future for our people and the only one capable of thwarting the dangers and hostile plans aimed at sinking the country into constitutional vacuum, anarchy and destabilization.”
The Head of the State also hailed the Army efforts willing to "preserve the constitutional conception of the State, ensure its continuity and guarantee the country’s security and stability."
He paid "strong tribute" to the Army Command for its "lucid commitment in supporting our people, in such a decisive phase of their History and its determination to counter the hostile acts against the nation and its territorial integrity as well as the attempts aiming at undermining the country’s national security and jeopardize its national unity."
Speaking about the popular marches, Bensalah described them as a stage which is "qualitatively new and which takes place in a peaceful way. During this stage, our people showed high sense of awareness and maturity, expressing their legitimate demands and ambitions in civilized behaviour which has been admired around the world."
He added that "the voice of the people has been listened. It has received from the State positive responsiveness, readiness and understanding with regard to our people’s demands, aspirations and expectations," underlining the "process of change experiences daily unquestionable progress."
"In the heart of the popular demands, the fight against corruption and the dilapidation of public funds picked up increasing speed, which shows the Judiciary resolutely handling major cases (of corruption). It also reflects a methodic and long term action which will have a positive impact on the national economy, cleansed of the harmful impact of practices that deeply hampered its operation," said Bensalah in his message.
"It stands to reason, however, that the country’s supreme interest imposes the preservation of the State, the respect of its Institutions, as well as the protection of its security and stability, in all the circumstances," he insisted.
"Destabilizing Algeria constitutes, for some parties, a strategic option," he warned.
"Denying this reality or trying to minimize its danger, would be at best naive and at worst a sign of complicity," he concluded