Algeria: Ministers ignore MP’sand shun presence in Parliament

The National Popular Assembly or lower house of Parliament is reportedly gripped by an atmosphere of disorder with several MP’s being at a loss with regard to the manifold oral questions destined to a number of Ministers who fail to be in attendance in the Assembly arguing off-handedly a heavy working schedule.

As a result, the Parliamentary bureau has unexpectedly decided to cancel a total of 13 oral questions on the agenda which were due to be raised to several Ministers who didn’t woefully show up for the traditional“question-time” within the National Popular Assembly.

Several disgruntled deputies hit out against such a scornful attitude stressing that some Ministers who are rightfully expected to respond to the MP’s queries and questions in due time, are glaringly evading their responsibility.

However, the Assembly’s internal regulations don’t compel the Ministers concerned to be always present to reply to the deputies’ oral questions contrary to written ones which should secure a ministerial response within a 30-day deadline in consistence with organic law n° 71.

This untoward and murky situation has perniciously turned the normally-monitoring Parliament into a rubber stamp one on account of the lack of rigour, punctuality and strictness by all those concerned, according to  the comments made by some indignant parliamentarians.