Algeria new Constitution disclosed mid-November

Algerians will know the change brought to the Constitution within 15 days, said Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia Saturday.

• “You will know the amendments of the Constitution brought by the president in less than 15 days,” Ouyahia told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony celebrating the 54th anniversary of the Algerian revolution’s outbreak.
• “Preparations of bringing the draft to Parliament will not take a long time. Everything will be done before the end of the month,” he added.
• The draft bill must be brought to the Ministerial Council, then to the Constitutional Council and finally to Parliament for approval.
• Earlier on Wednesday Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced he will partially amend the constitution to promote women’s political rights, he said.
• Bouteflika was elected in 1999 and gained a second mandate in 2004.
• Opposition in Algeria believes that the amendment opens the way for the president to run for a third term while his supporters call for his re-election.
•  According to the current constitution, a president can be elected for 2 terms only.
• The constitution can be amended by referendum. Yet, the president has the prerogatives to promulgate a law to amend the constitution provided Parliament approves it.