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Frustrated Algeria Army Chief Throws Down Gauntlet to Opposition

Algeriaโ€™s powerful army chief issued an ultimatum to the firebrand opposition movement and parliament backed changes to the elections law, piling pressure on protesters to support plans for a presidential vote in the OPEC member.

โ€œYou are either clearly siding with Algeria or with its enemies,โ€ Lt. General Ahmed Gaid Salah said Thursday in televised comments. โ€œAlgeria will overcome the crisis and no one will be able to stop this.โ€

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His remarks were soon followed by a report from the pan-Arab al-Hadath TV channel that Algeriaโ€™s parliament had approved an amendment to election laws and the establishing of a electoral commission. The proposals were fast-tracked after Salah called on Sept. 2 for preparations for a vote, opening the door to a December ballot.

Mass protests that ousted long-term President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April have showed no signs of abating, with the largely youth-led movement demanding the dismantling of the remnants of the regime and the old power-brokers known as โ€˜le Pouvoir.โ€™ In an apparent bid to quash any dissent, the bill sets prison terms of between six months and three years for anyone opposing the elections commissionโ€™s decisions.

Authorities late Wednesday arrested Karim Tabbou, an activist with the Democratic and Social Union, a group thatโ€™s been calling for fully fledged civilian rule. TSA Algerie reported Tabbou is expected in court for a preliminary hearing today, without saying what heโ€™ll be charged with.

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