Minister Sayoud Defends The Distribution Of Parliamentary Seats And Responds To Skeptics!

The Minister of Interior, Local Assemblies, and Transport, Mr. Said Sayoud, defended the draft law defining electoral districts and the number of seats in the National People’s Assembly or lower house of parliament, following the controversy raised regarding the distribution.

He affirmed that it was prepared based on official data from the National Office of Statistics, especially the results of the 2022 census, which were thoroughly discussed at the highest level, and their credibility cannot be questioned.

Mr. Sayoud explained to the deputies on Monday that the amendments reflect demographic transformations aimed at achieving fair representation, citing Adrar province, which suffered from concentrated representation, before the new division allowed for expanded representation to include areas such as Bordj Badji Mokhtar and Timimoun, thereby upholding the principle of fairness and ensuring the presence of various regions of the country in parliament.

In contrast, Mr. Sayoud used the session for approving the law to announce to the deputies the establishment of a specialized working group to study the compensation system for local elected officials. In the same context, he revealed the preparation of a draft executive decree to improve the number of seats in municipal and provincial people’s assemblies in line with population changes and the new administrative division.

Mr. Sayoud explained, in response to the concerns of the people’s representatives, that the issue of compensation for local elected officials is currently governed by the provisions of Executive Decree No. 91-13, which specifies the conditions of secondment and compensation, especially for permanent elected officials in municipal and provincial people’s assemblies.

This will be reviewed, noting that this issue is seriously being considered by public authorities, where a specialized working group has been established to study the compensation system and reconsider the mechanisms in place, with the aim of finding more equitable formulas adapted to the reality of local elected officials.

He added that this file is under processing, and the work of this group is expected to lead to practical proposals that will be implemented in the future, ensuring the improvement of the situation of local elected officials and avoiding the current imbalances.

Regarding the issue of redistributing parliamentary seats, which is the focus of the discussion, the minister revealed to the deputies that the reform process is not limited to parliament but also includes local councils.

A draft executive decree is currently being prepared to update the number of seats in municipal and provincial people’s assemblies, in line with population changes and the new administrative division. This project is expected to be ready in the near future, ensuring more fair and balanced representation at the local level.

In the same context, the minister revealed to the deputies that, under an executive decree prepared in coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various relevant sectors, the distribution of community seats will be reviewed to ensure more fair and comprehensive representation, especially for communities in some regions that suffered from weak or absent representation, such as some African countries.

He  went on to say in this regard that strengthening the representation of the national community abroad is one of the main axes of this project, as it reflects the will of the country’s highest authorities, led by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to consolidate the state’s relationship with its citizens residing abroad as actual partners in building the nation.

In contrast, the minister reiterated that the municipal and provincial laws are currently under review, as part of a comprehensive reform of the local authorities system, and will be finalized and presented as soon as possible, noting that the executive and legislative authorities bear the same responsibility towards citizens.

The session also saw the official nomination of Senate member Fateh Boutbik, representing Algeria in the African Parliament elections. This nomination, according to Ibrahim Boughali, comes at a time when Algeria is betting on winning this continental position, in competition with candidates from Egypt and Libya.