Algerian party pledges stronger municipalities as local campaign nears
ALGIERS — The Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), a long-standing Algerian political party, has unveiled its local election programme, promising municipalities with wider powers and calling for a calm climate that encourages people to vote.
Speaking on Saturday, party president Abdelali Hassani Cherif said the programme, built around the slogan "Achievement", seeks to offer new models of local governance and tangible results. It has ten axes, including effective governance, a digital municipality, environment and cleanliness, balanced urban development, better financial management, opportunities for youth, social solidarity, and improved services such as transport.
The party wants the municipal and wilaya (provincial) laws revised to move away from centralisation, and municipalities given the resources and powers to develop local investment and participatory democracy. It also proposes narrowing development gaps between regions, especially in border and southern areas, and drawing up a technical profile of each municipality's needs and priorities.
Mr Hassani Cherif warned that low turnout and political exclusion could erode trust in institutions. He noted that the vote has so far attracted little visible attention in public debate and on the street, and described it as a chance to boost participation.
Local elections are due on 28 November. The official campaign opens on 5 November, according to the vice-president of the National Independent Election Authority (ANIE), the body that organises and supervises polls. In all, 6,065 lists with 162,864 candidates are running.
Municipalities are Algeria's most direct point of contact between citizens and the state, handling civil registry, local roads, sanitation and public lighting. Parties of all stripes therefore present them as the place where daily life is shaped. Turnout is likely to be the main test, and the MPS statement shows that competitors themselves see abstention as the principal risk.
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