TAMANRASSET: Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Sunday pledged constitutional changes if he wins re-election next month, while a rival for the presidency vowed consensual reforms if elected as campaigning got underway.
Bouteflika's campaign chief Abdelmalek Sellal promised changes to the national charter that would create a "broad democracy" if the ailing incumbent wins the April 17 vote.
Sellal, a former prime minister, gave scant details of the changes as he opened the campaign with a speech in the southern desert town of Adrar.
He was one of six senior regime figures who fanned out across Algeria to campaign on behalf of the president, who is too sick to take to the hustings himself.
Bouteflika's decision to seek re-election despite a mini-stroke, which confined him to hospital in Paris for three months last year, has drawn heavy criticism not only in opposition ranks but also from some within the regime.
Former president Liamine Zeroual has sharply criticised the 2008 constitutional amendment that allowed Bouteflika to seek a third term and demanded a handover of power.
Sellal told the rally in Adrar that constitutional changes, first promised in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the region in 2011, would be adopted this year.
"Algeria will have a broad democracy, a participatory democracy," said Sellal, who stepped down as prime minister to run Bouteflika's re-election campaign.
"We are going to expand the rights of the people's elected representatives and the opposition parties will have their constitutional rights," he told a crowd of about 1,000 people.
Sellal gave no further details of the proposed changes, a draft of which he handed to Bouteflika last year.
Bouteflika is also campaigning on a ticket of security, and after the rally in Adrar Sellal headed to Tamanrasset in the far south.
Addressing around 1,000 supporters in the town, Sellal reassured residents anxious about possible Islamist militant attacks from across the border in nearby Mali.
"Rest assured, Algeria is safe. We have a strong army," he said. In the crowd, Mohamed Sheikh nodded in approval and said the veteran president "represents security, stability and reconciliation. I will vote for him."
Rival vows consensual reform:
Benflis, 69, who is seen as Bouteflika's main rival, meanwhile launched his own campaign for the elections, promising to introduce a "consensual constitution" drawn up by all political parties and civil society groups if he wins.
He addressed a crowd of several hundred people in the western city of Mascara a highly symbolic site because it is the hometown of Emir Abdelkader, a key figure in Algerian history who fought the French colonial authorities in the 19th century.
Benflis said he also wanted an independent parliament capable of sacking the cabinet, and criticised the government, calling it a "support committee" for Bouteflika's candidacy.
He urged Algerians to "watch the ballots" in case of possible electoral fraud. Sellal, who was closely involved in the 2004 and 2009 campaigns that returned Bouteflika to power, insisted earlier this month the president need not be on the road himself to campaign.
The president rejected concerns about his health in a message to the nation on Saturday, insisting he is fit to govern and will stand in the race April 17 election in response to persistent calls from Algerians.
"The difficulties linked to my health do not appear to disqualify me in your eyes or plead in favour of me giving up the heavy responsibilities which have, in part, affected my health," he said.
Bouteflika, who is widely expected to win the race, faces four other presidential hopefuls, including one woman, Louisa Hanoune.
His key challenger Benflis is a human rights defender who was sidelined from politics after running against Bouteflika in 2004.
El-Watan2014 website, set up for the presidential election, said the message "Ali Benflis will be our future president" had appeared on the site before it was taken down.
This came as Bouteflika's Facebook page said that the president's website had been temporarily suspended because of a cyberattack.
Meanwhile politicians boycotting the elections on Sunday called for a "democratic transition" as a way to achieve a change of power in Algeria.
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