Consensus on Disputed Provisions in the Traffic Law

The joint committee of the two chambers of Parliament, tasked with proposing a compromise on the disputed provisions of the recently passed traffic law, held its first meeting on Thursday at the National People’s Assembly, according to a statement issued by the Assembly.

The source explained that the Speaker of the National People’s Assembly, Ibrahim Boughali, attended part of the committee’s inauguration, urging its members to work efficiently and responsibly to “achieve results that reflect the required level of institutional work and ensure consensus between the two chambers of Parliament in addressing the disputed provisions of the Traffic Law.”

The same source indicated that the meeting of the joint committee was convened at the invitation of its oldest member, Nasr Eddine Baba Addoun, a member of the Council of the Nation, in accordance with the provisions of Article 91 (paragraph 1) of Organic Law No. 16-12, which governs the organization and operation of the National People’s Assembly and the Council of the Nation, as well as their functional relations with the government, as amended and complemented.

In accordance with the procedures stipulated in the aforementioned article, the attendees unanimously elected the committee’s bureau, composed of Mr. Kada Nedjadi, from the National People’s Assembly, as chairman; Mr. Yahia Charef, from the Council of the Nation, as vice-chairman; Mr. Noureddine Bounefla, from the Council of the Nation, as rapporteur; and Mr. Miloud Tessouh, from the National People’s Assembly, as rapporteur.

In his address, Nedjadi stated that the committee’s task is to propose a new compromise formula regarding the disputed provisions between the Council of the Nation and the National People’s Assembly in the traffic law. He emphasised that its work aims to “strengthen consensus and ensure the quality and coherence of legislation, serving the higher interests of the state and enhancing citizens’ trust in constitutional institutions.”

After urging the elected members of the committee’s bureau to “demonstrate a spirit of integration and strict adherence to the established procedures,” Nedjadi asserted that the committee’s success “will be measured by its ability to formulate a comprehensive formula that harmonizes the visions of both chambers within the framework of a bicameral parliament with one voice, while preserving the institutional balance enshrined in the Constitution.”

The dispute concerns Articles 104, 119, 121, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 161, 166, and 170. The Joint Committee will begin examining these articles at its next meeting, scheduled for next Monday.

In this regard, “a new text will be proposed on the subject, in accordance with the procedures stipulated in the Constitution, Organic Law No. 16-12 as amended and complemented, and the internal regulations of the two chambers of Parliament,” the same source added.