Ali Benflis, the main rival candidate to Algerian President ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Bouteflika in the presidential elections next month, accused the leader of planning an attack on him this week, news sources report.
The incident, in which Benflis was overwhelmingly accosted by children toting Bouteflika paraphernalia at Algiers airport, halting him for an hour, is among a slew of acts of intimidation allegedly carried out by the president’s camp.
Seven Algerian newspapers issued a statement on Tuesday saying they will take Bouteflika before the law for incitement to hate for his constant attacks on them, according to news reports. The publications, which are highly critical of the government, were shut down by the state last year for extended periods, reportedly because they had not paid their bills.
On Monday, the Knews network was allegedly shut down by the state because its owner Moumène Khalifa is an explicit critic of Bouteflika, the daily Le Matin, one of seven newspapers mentioned above, reported.
The campaigns leading up to the April 8 elections were promised to be the most transparent and fair that the North African country has seen.
The local media reports that Bouteflika is sure to win, as he reportedly has a large state budget and considerable media support behind him.