Bouteflika summons parliament to vote for new constitution

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has summoned Parliament to meet next Wednesday to consider a constitutional amendment draft bill which allows him to stand for a third term.

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• “The agenda of Parliament due to meet Wednesday will include the constitutional amendment draft bill for approval in conformity with article176 of the Constitution,” Algeria News Agency (APS) said Saturday quoting a statement from the President’s office.
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• Bouteflika, reaching the end of his second and final term changed article 74 related to office mandate to put no limit for a president to be re-elected.
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•  The new constitution allows Bouteflika to run for a third term in the presidential elections scheduled in spring 2009.
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• The change also substitutes the head of government by the prime minister.  
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• Opposition in Algeria says Bouteflika uses the constitutional amendment as a trick to stay in power while his allies believe his initiative would promote freedoms and democracy in the country.
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• The Algerian Parliament which consists in 2 chamber counts 389 members in the Council of the Nation (Upper Chamber) and 144 in the People’s National Assembly (Lower Chamber).
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• A total of 48 members of the Council of the Nation are appointed by the president.
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• With 249 members, the Presidential Alliance represented in the National Liberation Front (FLN), the National Rally for Democracy (RND), the Movement for Peace and Society (MSP) showed support to the third term.
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• The Labour party counting 26 members also backed the initiative.
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• The Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) opposed the third term saying Bouteflika wants to become a “president for life” and that he was making “slaves of all Algerians”.
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• The Algerian National Front (FNA) has not shown its position but its members called for a referendum to approve the constitutional amendment.