Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune promised on Tuesday to launch a national dialogue to ensure the embodiment of “true democracy” in the country as he was sworn in for a second five-year term
Mr Tebboune, 78, said during his constitutional oath ceremony at the Palais des Nations in Algiers that all national political, economic and youth actors will be called on to participate in a series of “extensive talks and consultations” to set up a road map for the developments of all sectors, state news agency APS reported.
“An open national dialogue will be initiated to plan together the path that our country will take with regard to embodying true democracy and not a democracy of slogans but a democracy that gives sovereignty to those who deserve it,” he said.
Mr Tebboune also hailed the September 7 elections for their “smoothness,” saluting his two rivals, Abdelaali Hassani Cherif and Youcef Aouchiche for running “clean” electoral campaigns, and the Algerian people for upholding their national duties.
“Even if the tools and methods of persuasion differed, the electoral campaign was conducted within the framework of mutual respect and democratic political practice, as dictated by moral conscience and what loyalty to the homeland requires,” he said.
“With their patriotic awareness, Algerians are supporting the path necessary to consolidate the legitimacy of institutions and to build a state of law and justice.”
Mr Tebboune also praised the Algerian National People’s Army and security forces for providing the needed logistical support “to ensure transparent, free and fair elections.”
Algeria’s Constitutional Court announced on Saturday that Mr Tebboune had been re-elected for another five-year term with an 83.4 per cent majority with almost 8 million votes.
Islamist candidate Mr Hassani Cherif, 57, of the Movement of Society for Peace, received 9.56 per cent of the vote and secular candidate Mr Aouchiche, 41, of the Socialist Forces Front, got 6.14 per cent.
The final turnout rate in the elections was 46.10 per cent, both the National Independent Election Authority and the Constitutional Court said, without providing the exact number of voters.
All three candidates, including Mr Tebboune, had filed appeals to the Constitutional Court earlier last week against the initial results for what they perceived as a discrepancy in the numbers announced by the electoral committee.
“The results that were announced by the National Independent Elections Authority have lacked all the basic data as dictated by our customs in all important national occasions,” they said on September 8.
The candidates primarily questioned the accuracy of the initial results and the contradiction between the numbers of voters and the given percentages.
The election authority initially announced that Mr Tebboune won by a 95 per cent majority but did not provide the exact number of overall voters.
“We have evidence proving that the announced results contradict all their presented data,- relating whether to participation rates or results,” Mr Cherif said last Tuesday.
Mr Tebboune’s re-election has been widely expected due to overwhelming support compared to the two other candidates and strong backing from the country’s military.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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