Brotherhood stumbling as Algeria gets ready for municipal vote
The Muslim Brotherhood has been making one political failure after another, especially when it comes to elections in the Arab states where the Islamist organization has active branches.
The case of Algeria bears witness to
rejection to the Brotherhood among the members of the public.
This rejection was manifest in the
latest legislative elections in the country.
Nonetheless, the Movement of Society
for Peace, the Muslim Brotherhood branch in Algeria, intends to participate in
the municipal elections which are slated for November 17.
Party Head, Abderazzaq Makri, has
described the elections as an 'opportunity' to reinstate his party on the
Algerian political stage.
The party has been trying to regain
a foothold on this stage since losing the latest legislative elections.
The plan now by party leaders is to
control the majority, if not, all seats in the municipal councils as a prelude
for rebuilding the Muslim Brotherhood's status in Algeria's political life.
Nonetheless, the Movement of Society
for Peace complains against violations in the buildup for the municipal
elections.
The party also says that its
candidates are subjected to abuse, including by the exclusion of some of them.
This abuse, it says, indicates that
there is a systematic policy targeting strong candidates.
"This refers to what amounts to
pre-election fraud," the party says.
Allegations
The independent National Electoral
Authority in Algeria excluded candidates with affiliations to almost all
political parties, who did not conform to candidacy terms.
The authority tended to turn down
applications by suspicious potential candidates.
Most of these candidates were viewed
as a security threat or affiliates of terrorist groups.
Makri was annoyed after some of the
candidates of his party were accused of belonging to a terrorist group.
He accused some security agencies of
standing behind the exclusion of his party's candidates.
