ALGIERS: A court in Algiers said on Monday that three rejected presidential candidates were placed under “judicial supervision” while another 68 people, including elected officials, were temporarily detained as part of an investigation into election fraud.
They are suspected of being involved in “signature selling” for the upcoming presidential election set for September 7. The candidates must collect a large number of them to be eligible to run.
“Sixty-eight defendants were placed in temporary custody, three were placed under judicial supervision and six were released after questioning,” the court said in a statement.
Last week, Algiers court prosecutor Lotfi Boudjemaa told state news agency APS that “more than 50 elected officials” admitted to illegally receiving money to support presidential candidates.
On Monday, the three candidates placed under judicial supervision were named as Saida Neghza, former minister Belkacem Sahli and a relatively unknown hopeful named Abdelhakim Hamadi.
Even if they are not arrested, they will have to regularly check in with authorities until after the investigation is complete.
Boudjemaa said last week that those involved in the fraud “will be arrested.”
At a press conference before she officially submitted her candidacy last month, Neghza complained of “difficulties” in the process of registering and obtaining the signatures.
She said she hoped “the electoral process takes place in a climate of openness and integrity, without any favoritism.”
To qualify to appear on the ballot, candidates must present a list of at least 50,000 individual signatures from registered voters or from 600 members from at least 29 of Algeria's provincial assemblies.
Only three hopefuls, including incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune, had their candidacies approved for the September 7 election.
Abdelaali Hassani of the moderate Islamist party Movement of Society for Peace and Youssef Aouchiche of the center-left Socialist Forces Front are the two candidates who will run against Tebboune.
The other 13 hopefuls all had their candidacies rejected after failing to collect the required number of signatures of support.
