On Sunday, the Algerian Council of Ministers approved the draft amendment to the constitution proposed by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and it is scheduled to be presented to Parliament later and put to a popular referendum on the first of next November.
The draft includes amendments related to the duties of the army and the powers of the prime minister, creating the post of vice president of the republic and ensuring the independence of the judiciary.
A statement issued by the presidency said that the Council of Ministers "discussed and approved the draft constitutional amendment that" lays out the permanent legal foundations for a new democratic Algeria. "
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune considers the constitutional amendment as the cornerstone of the radical reforms he promised before and after his accession to power, on December 19.
The draft constitution, prepared by a committee of experts appointed by Tebboune, was distributed to the parties, unions, associations and local media in order to present their proposals.
The Anadolu Agency reported that the draft included many proposals, the most important of which was 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.
Reuters reported that the draft essentially includes granting parliament, the prime minister and the judiciary greater powers, in addition to strengthening political freedoms.
It is expected that the draft constitution will be presented to Parliament for discussion and approval in the coming days, before the official call for the electoral body to participate in the referendum scheduled for the first of November.
The popular movement questions the regime's seriousness in undertaking fundamental reforms (Reuters)
A consensual project,
and state television reported Tebboune, stressing that this project is "compatible and consistent with the requirements of building a modern state, and meets the demands of the blessed and genuine popular movement."
This movement is a popular uprising that forced President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign on April 2, 2019, after he ruled the country for 20 years.
Earlier, the Algerian army leadership said that the train of radical change in the country had started, and was no longer just an empty slogan, in response to the people's demands.
On the other hand, Algerian opposition forces question the regime’s promises of radical reform, and consider that what it announced about reform is mere slogans and an attempt to renew its façade without bringing about a true democratic transition.
The activists of the popular movement and some opposition parties refused to participate in the constitutional amendment consultations, and called for transitional institutions to be tasked with preparing a new constitution, considering the current parliament, inherited from the era of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, ineligible to discuss the constitution.
The opposition Democratic Alternative Forces coalition considered that the referendum on the constitution "cannot be a permanent solution to the stifling political crisis in the country."