Opposition wary of Ouyahia and requests people’s involvement in constitutional revision consultations

Several opposition parties in Algeria have bitterly deplored what they called the covert attempts by the power establishment to exclude the Algerian people from the ongoing consultations on the preparation for the projected Constitutional revision.

They expressed strong reservations about the appointment by the head of state of Ahmed Ouyahia to spearhead such consultations arguing that he wasn’t likely to achieve any progress in the launching  for real of the much-awaited reforms similarly to his predecessor Abdelkader Bensalah.

Pro-government parties on the other hand hailed the initiative as likely to pave the way for the implementation of the pledges made by President  Bouteflika during the recent election campaign.

Lakhdar Benkhelaf: “Ouyahia is known for his ambiguous and versatile stance”

Senior member of FJD party, Lakhdar Benkhelaf, firmly castigated the designation by the head of state of Ahmed Ouyahia to lead the ongoing consultations for the planned constitutional revision stressing that Ouyahia is not a neutral-minded figure and is widely known for his ambiguous and his fickle stance as evidenced lately by his antagonistic statements during the election campaign for the April 17 presidential elections.

The consultative process with the fostering of an all-inclusive dialogue should involve everybody in the hope of finally coming up with a consensus Constitution, he added.

Nouara Djaffar: “The President of the Republic wants to deepen the reforms”

The spokesperson for the RND party, Nouara Djaffar, asserted for her part that President  Bouteflika was keen to promote wider consultations for this purpose, adding that her party had already put forth a set of proposals during the first phase of the consultations for the planned constitutional revision spearheaded then by Abdelkader Bensalah.

The question of reforms is being supported by the RND party because the aim is to amend the supreme law of the country, which must merge all the country’s political class and civil society as a whole, she pointed out.

Workers’ Party member (PT) Ramdane Taâzibt: “We want the fostering of reforms in which the Algerian people have a say”

He said that the Workers’ Party (PT) had no objection to the appointment of the head of the Presidential Office, Ahmed Ouyahia, to manage the consultation process stressing that his party was ready to participate in these consultations while calling for the involvement of all the people in such a process in order to achieve an in-depth reform of the constitution in consistence with the popular will and popular sovereignty, as he put it.

Abdelmadjid Menasra: “We prefer a non-governmental figure instead of Ouyahia” 

For his part, the leader of the Front for Change party, Abdelmadjid MENASRA, said that he preferred a non-governmental personality to spearhead the ongoing consultative process concerning the drafting of a consensual Constitution,  underlining that Ahmed Ouyahia would work under the close supervision of the President of the Republic who will be accountable for the planned constitutional amendments.

“We want a Constitution of consensus involving an all-inclusive dialogue, and not unique and tailor-made to the Presidency”, Abdelmadjid Menasra underscored.

MSP leader Abderrazak Mokri:  “We reject duplicate work and consumerism”

Abderrazak Mokri believes that the consultation process to be undertaken by Ahmed Ouyahia was merely repeating work and consumption of time and effort, stressing that the MSP movement had already participated in prior consultations for constitutional revamping then led by Abdelkader Bensalah and made to this effect a series of proposals and suggestions, which couldn’t be implemented in just one year.

Mokri affirmed that both Ouyahia and Bensalah were similar and bound by the logic of power,  adding that the real overture laid in the required political will which must be adopted by the ruling establishment in order to be able to usher-in a genuine democratic change at all levels.

Algerian National Front party leader Moussa Touati:  ”The ruling elite has failed and it’s time to let the Algerian people speak out”

Moussa Touati indicated for his part that the ruling elite has proved its dismal failure in achieving the long-awaited change due to its gross selfishness and its serious lapses on all fronts.

“As a result, we have to make the people become the prime source of authority, as stipulated by the relevant provisions of the Constitution”, he emphasized.