For a few weeks now, we have only been talking regarding that, putting the trial of the former president, which reopened on Monday, March 20, in the background. While he held public opinion spellbound with his many twists and appeals introduced by his lawyers to prevent the Court from finally ruling on the merits of the case, he suddenly took a back seat. The nominations of candidates for the ruling party in future legislative, regional and municipal elections suddenly stole the limelight. Never in the short history of our democracy have candidacies aroused so much interest and given rise to so many rumours, counter-rumors and disinformation. It must be said that the absolute discretion which surrounded the preparation of the lists by Insav did not help the peddlers of information and other touts to spill the beans. This did not prevent some, ”reliable sources”, from swearing hand on heart that such and such will benefit from the confidence of the party. Result of the races following nearly 24 hours of waiting: renewed, rejected, new invested and dissatisfied with the shovel. The preparation of the national list, those of young people and women will undoubtedly make it possible to reduce certain dissatisfactions but it would be illusory to satisfy everyone. Which will doubtless reserve for us future tussles between those who yesterday were ”brothers” and whom a devouring ambition threw into the arms of other parties. Certain local issues partly explain this mad race once morest time, of which the party does not seem to have taken the full measure. In some localities in any case where the elections may not be easy for a ruling party in rather bad shape but which always manages, as if by a miracle, to pull out of the game.
Ahmed Old Cheikh
