- Title: FRANCE: FRENCH ALGERIANS VOTE IN THEIR HOME COUNTRY'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
- Date: 10th April 1999
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (APRIL 10, 1999) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV: EXTERIOR ALGERIAN CULTURAL CENTER, PARIS - VOTING HALL 0.06 2. MV/PAN: MEN COMING TO VOTE 0.12 3. MV/TILT/CU/PAN: MAN SHOWING PASSPORT/ BROUCHERS (3 SHOTS) 0.34 4. GV/MV/CU: VOTING (5 SHOTS) 1.02 5. GV: EXTERIOR OF CULTURAL CENTER 1.08 6. CU: (SOUNDBITE)(French) ALGERIAN VOTER ABDELKRIM HASSEN: "We hope that the incoming president will bring peace and that the young will begin working again. We also hope that - it is especially important - security - that later we'll be able to take better care of our country. We hope that our population achieves democracy and personally I'm counting on these elections because its the first time that the army won't be intervening - and that there will be free elections." 1.46 7. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (French) HAKIM GOUDJIL, PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR CANDIDATE ABDELAZIZ BOUTEFLIKA: "It is a very good sign - you know, when the representatives of the different candidates meet, there is a lot of camaraderie and a lot of respect between them. Each one defends his candidate. And so that's democracy. Algerians should know about this. Everything here is moving along well and all that we hope is that things happen in the same fashion in Algeria. Inch Allah (God willing)." 2.13 8. SCU: OLDER MAN VOTING 2.23 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 25th April 1999 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVA8LH7BBD62K60TBIY7WYKNVIP7
- Story Text: Polling stations have opened in France for the
country's 680,000 Algerians to vote for Algeria's next
president.
Twenty three makeshift polling stations opened in Paris
on Saturday (April 10) to allow Algerians living in France to
take part in Algerian presidential elections.
The Paris polling stations were some of the 109 around
France that were to be open for six days.
The presidential elections in Algeria will be held on
April 15 and seven candidates are running for the position.
Leaders of Algeria's four main political parties on
Thursday announced a coalition in support of the army's
preferred candidate in a move that could seal his victory in
next week's presidential poll.
"We believe that our objectives will be achieved through
backing the free candidate (former foreign minister) Abdelaziz
Bouteflika who is striving to reunite Algerians," the four
groups said in a joint statement.
The statement was signed by the ruling National
Democratic Rally (RND), the former ruling National Liberation
Front (FLN), the Moslem fundamentalist Nahdah party and the
Islamist-oriented Movement for Peaceful Society (MPS).
Algeria, a vast oil and gas producer, has been gripped
by violence since early 1992 when the authorities scrapped a
general election that radical Islamists were poised to win.
A U.S.State Department report in February estimated
that as many as 77,000 people have been killed since then.
Voters in France were impressed by the efficiency of the
voting procedure.During the last elections badly prepared
voting authorities caused huge delays and much frustration.
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