MPs called upon Senators to disable the “Penal Code”
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MPs of the National People’s Council and who rejected the new amendments on the draft Penal Code, in the apart which is related to violence against women, calling upon member of the National Assembly, for not endorsing it, and pressurizing the government to undo the articles of the bill, and then open a public debate about it, so as not to cause a rift in the Algerian families, add to that the illegality of the approval process, which was done at the lower chamber of parliament, due to the lack of the legal number of MPs.
A MP for the Green Bloc at the National People’s Council, Abdenasser Hamdadouche, revealed on a new step that was initiated by the MPs who rejected the amendments, which touched the Penal Code, and resorted to deputies of the upper house of parliament to disrupt the bill, and force the government to review the amendments, as appropriate and required by the current situation and Algerian constitution that considers Islam as the state’s religion.
“It is not just about discrimination that was brought by the amendments, but the illegal way in which the project was passed, because the session was illegal because the number of attendance was incomplete. The voting session was attended approximately by 180 deputies only, and the rest of the chairs were filled with staff of Parliament, while the President of the National People’s Council, Mohamed Larbi Ould Khalifa, announced that 234 MPs attended it, with an increase of two deputies for the quorum. According to the number of attendees, it was proved that they did not exceed 180. This is a shameful scandal because the parliament used its staff to fill the chairs of the absent MPs.”
Green Bloc spokesperson called upon MPs of the National Assembly, in a statement to Echorouk, to listen to public opinion, which expressed refusal of these deviations and rectify the matter by not ratifying the bill, which approved is expected to be done in the next few days, until it is officially in practice, especially since many associations, activists and jurists, and even the Muslim Scholars Association announced that they were against the contents of the recent amendments, pointing to the need to defend religion and society.
“Alert of the Constitutional Council of the breach that occurred in the ratification of the bill was for political and media alarm and notification, and is not a legal notice, so that there is no article in the law that authorizes this matter. It is not just about legal approval session but even the content is unconstitutional.”