Secretary-General of the National Democratic Rally, Tayeb Zitouni, said that before, the RND “was in the hands of a group of people that worked to serve their interests without consulting the militants” adding that his party agrees with the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, on many files, stressing that the upcoming legislative elections will be transparent and fair thanks to the political will to make this date a success.
The Secretary-General of the National Democratic Rally, Tayeb Zitouni revealed, when hosted by the “the interview” TV program, which was broadcast on Thursday’s evening on the news channel of the public television, many of the mysteries that accompanied the running of the “RND” by the previous leadership for more than twenty years.
Mr. Zitouni’s statement came in response to a question related to the link of “RND” leaders with corruption issues. He added “The corruption that existed in the country was not in the name of the party but in the name of some leaders who used it for personal gains.”
Zitouni: We discussed the idea of changing the name of the party, but what is important for us today is to change practices and management methods.
Zaitouni defended, in the same respect, the executives and activists of the National Democratic Rally against corruption and bribery charges. “They are honest and patriotic people and they are not responsible for some of the decisions taken in the name of RND,” adding, “It’s true that in the previous era, our party was in the hands of a group of people who served their interests and took decisions without consulting the management, today, the party has returned to its militants and we are about to correct mistakes and establish a culture of dialogue away from the logic of loyalty and leadership”. Answering a question about the possibility of changing the name of the party due to its association with the previous era, Zitouni explained “ We discussed this issue and came to the conclusion that there is no point in changing the name as much as we should work towards changing practices within the party, fight corrupt money, and establish the principle of rotating positions of responsibility.
Zitouni: The political class did not play its role in the previous era and we must move away from populism.
Speaking about the latest developments in the political scene in Algeria, the Secretary General of the National Democratic Rally evoked the series of consultations initiated by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, with various parties and civil society organizations, “We met with the President of the Republic and we agree with him on national work, building a strong economy, handling the citizens’ daily concerns and preserving our foreign political stances”, considering that the country’s political class “did not play its primary role in the previous era, as evidenced by the taking to the streets, by Algerians, on February 22nd, and today it is required to rebuild itself according to strong political, economic and social programs away from the idea of loyalty and populist discourses and empty alliances”.
Zitouni: The President of the Republic provided sufficient guarantees to organize fair elections, and politics is not carried out by civil society.
As for the date of next June 12, the Secretary-General of the National Democratic Rally recalled the “unfairness and injustice of the administration in the 2017 legislative elections, and the Secretary-General of the party did not defend, during that period, the rights of militants,” stressing that “the situation today is different and the conditions for transparency are available thanks to the efforts of the Independent National Authority for Elections and the existence of a strong political will from the President of the Republic, to organize transparent elections, and this is what reassures everyone.
Regarding the position of civil society in the new political roadmap and the chances of the “RND” in the legislative elections of next June 12, Zitouni presented a view that contradicts what some parties are promoting, saying, “Politics is not carried out by civil society, but it’s rather the task of the parties and the association movement which do the planning and mobilization.”. As for the National Democratic Rally, it “will present lists of young people with university-level competencies and honest executives,” indicating that the parties that boycotted the elections missed the opportunity to participate and positions themselves again.
The Secretary-General of “RND”: Achieving economic development requires political stability and external parties target the stability of Algeria.
With regard to the economic challenges that await Algeria, Zitouni said that economic development “comes only with the existence of political stability, and I am optimistic about achieving this take-off, given that the President of the Republic focused in his program on emerging institutions, energy transition and knowledge economy to make this endeavor succeed and get out of dependence on hydrocarbons.”.
Finally, the Secretary-General of the National Democratic Rally, evoked the regional files and security threats surrounding Algeria, stressed that “our country is threatened, and this is a fact and not a political cant, because our stability is directly threatened under the pretext of human rights and other empty content files, for these organizations that want to defend human rights in Algeria, turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to dangerous violations in neighboring countries, ”. He called on Algerians to“ unify the internal front, while the political class must play its primary role, which is to educate the people and address them with real programs. ”
