‘Algerian opposition can enter government after polls’

By Elena Teslova</p> <p>MOSCOW (AA) – Algeria’s upcoming presidential elections will feature several new elements, the country's deputy prime minister said Tuesday.</p> <p>For the first time in history, everyone will be able to take part, said Ramtane Lamamra, speaking at a press conference in Moscow following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.</p> <p>An independent election commission will also oversee and administrate the elections so that everything will be transparent, he said.</p> <p> In addition, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has decided not to take part in the elections and is ready to hand over power to the elected president in a completely transparent manner, he said.</p> <p>Following the elections, the opposition will enter the government and take part in its work, he added.</p> <p>Asked whether the protests in Algeria could be considered an attempt to destabilize the situation from outside, Lavrov said &quot;the people of Algeria will solve all the problems themselves on the basis of the country's constitution and international law&quot;.</p> <p>Last week, Bouteflika, 82, postponed presidential elections scheduled for April 18 and withdrew his candidacy following weeks of mass protests against his nomination for a fifth term.</p> <p>Algerians staged large demonstrations in several parts of the country Friday against the move, calling it an extension of Bouteflika’s fourth term.</p> <p>Last month, Algeria’s ruling National Liberation Front nominated Bouteflika — who has ruled Algeria since 1999 — to run for office.</p> <p>Opposition figures have repeatedly urged the elderly president — who in 2013 was treated for a blood clot in the brain — to bow out of the elections.