Note that Omar Aït Mokhtar is a former activist and candidate of the Algerian National Front (FNA) who was in favor of a fifth term for Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Even before the validation of his candidacy for the Algerian presidential election by the authority in charge of the elections, he took the risk of calling for “reconciliation” with Morocco. It is a risk, since in the two countries – Algeria and Morocco – the subject is eminently sensitive.
Quoted by Maghreb Intelligence, he declares: “If I am elected president of Algeria in 2024, I will call King Mohammed VI immediately to invite him to come to Algeria or else I will go to Morocco”.
In passing, he accuses the authorities of his country of having chosen “… an incomprehensible escalation with the neighboring country”.
Defining himself as “the candidate for peace”, Aït Mokhtar believes that “Morocco is the strategic depth of Algeria and vice versa… Moroccans are our brothers and that is why we must immediately begin to normalize relations between the two countries”.
Therefore, he finds the (Algerian) support for the Polisario to the detriment of Morocco nonsense, explaining that “… good relations with Morocco are essential for Algeria because it is in the interest of the two peoples and the two countries. in the face of the major challenges facing the region”.
Now, one wonders if the putative candidate has properly measured the consequences of his statements on public opinion, and especially on the army.
