Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called for adherence to the dialogue and consultation mechanism as a guarantee for the consolidation of security and stability in the country, accusing the pillars of the former regime of using corrupt money to carry out a "counter-revolution."
In a speech during the meeting of the government and the governors to discuss the development of isolated areas in the country, today, Wednesday, in the capital, Tebboune warned about what he described as the agenda of well-known forces seeking to undermine the stability of Algeria and spread its corrupt money in society, as he put it.
He also called on the relevant state institutions to start preparations for holding a popular referendum on a "profound constitutional amendment" project that is under preparation.
"I urge you from now to prepare for the constitutional referendum stage, in order to provide the best conditions for the citizen to be able to say his decisive word for the future of his country," he said.
"The radical change demanded by the blessed movement (the February 2019 protests) comes through the constitution and not by decisions in closed offices."
A consensual constitution
Tebboune added, "We said a consensual constitution that is about to print a text containing the proposals of the political class, and every article is written in which the party or party that proposed it is written, and in the end we will take the opinion of the majority."
The Algerian president accused the former regime's pillars of carrying out a counter-revolution by using "corrupt money" to create popular protests, saying, "The door to repentance is open to those who have been wronged in order to serve their country in the future."
"The train of change has started, and there is no place for those calling for a transitional stage from within and without," he added.
According to the Algerian president, statistics (an official opinion poll) showed that 80% of citizens are satisfied with the current security and stability situation, and their country avoids the scenario of countries such as Libya and Syria in the aftermath of the popular uprising that the country witnessed last year.
Tebboune did not specify a date for the referendum on the new constitution, but weeks ago he announced his desire to hold the referendum between late September and early October.
Last January, Tebboune assigned a 17-member committee of experts, led by the international constitutional expert Ahmed Laarraba, to prepare a draft of a new constitution, within a maximum of 3 months.
Weeks ago, the Algerian presidency presented a draft to amend the constitution prepared by legal experts for public discussion, and it subsequently announced receiving 2,500 proposals from political actors regarding it.
The draft includes many proposals, the most important of which is the creation of a vice president’s position, expanding the powers of the prime minister, and lifting the ban on the army’s carrying out operations outside the borders for the first time.