Algeria's Boutaflika allow ministers run for parliament

Algerian President Abdel Aziz Boutaflika allowed the ministers of his government to run for the coming parliamentary elections scheduled to be held on 

May 4. According to sources, the Algerian president approved the nomination of seven ministers from the current government, including ministers of transportation, water resources, information technology, and rural development.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdel Malek Salal said, in a press statement, that the ministers have the right to participate in the elections as leading figures in their political parties. He stressed that there is not legal reason to prevent them from participation in the parliamentary elections.

The decision to allow ministers to participate in the parliamentary elections would raise a state of controversy among the politicians, as the opposition parties called the president not to allow ministers participate in the coming elections.

They stressed that the step could raise skepticism over the integrity of the coming elections and could undermine the neutrality of the government.