Algeria minister raps judges’ election challenge to ou fli a

ALGIERS - More than 1, 000 judges said they would refuse to o ersee lgeria’s election i resident delaziz oute i a contests it a challenge that drew a sharp retort from the ustice inister yesterday ho said the udiciary should be neutral.

In a statement, the

udges added their oice to anti oute i a protests no in their third ee y announcing the ormation o a ne association to restore the gi t o ustice oute i a returned to Algeria on Sunday a ter undergoing medical treatment in Switzerland.

e announce our intention to abstain from ... supervising the election process against the ill o the people hich is the only source o po er the judges said on Sunday.

Judges should join an effort to declare that e are the people the udges said in a statement.

lgerian ustice inister Tayeb Louh, a member of oute i a’s inner circle said judges should remain neutral.

he independence and integrity of the judge must

e consistent hate er the reasons nnahar uoted him as saying.

he year old oute i a aces the toughest fight o his 20-year-old rule, following a tenure in hich he ecame the country’s most po er ul president in 30 years. In another set ac or the veteran President, who plans to stand in elections in pril clerics told the minister o Religious Affairs to stop pressuring them to issue progovernment sermons.

ea e us to do our o do not inter ere cleric mam Djamel Ghoul, leader of an independent group o clerics said in remar s to reporters

lgerians rom all social classes ha e re ected his plan to secure a fi th term in April, a move protesters feel would perpetuate a stale political system dominated y eterans o an independence ar against rance that ended in 1962. In Algiers, tens of unionists staged a protest rally outside the head uarters o the main union G calling on its leader Abdelmadjid Sidi Said, a oute i a ally to resign

The veteran head of state has rarely been seen in pu lic since a stro e in Last April, he appeared in lgiers in a heelchair n the clearest indication yet that the generals sympathise ith protesters the chie o staff said the military and the people had a united vision of the uture state reported Lieutenant General Gaed Salah did not mention the unrest.