Political Class Unsatisfied With President’s Reforms

Political parties in Algeria are increasingly unsatisfied with the way the long awaited political reforms are being implemented.

In fact, the Islamist Ennahda Movement threatened to boycott next legislative elections. A statement issued by the Ennahda’s National Council reads that the party has held a meeting to take some measures as response to the way the Legislative Committee at the Parliament dealt with the bunch of reform bills, including the one related to political parties.

Ennahda Movement slammed the Parliament’ Legislative Committee, “which has not taken into account the amendments proposed by MPs vis-à-vis the political parties bill,” which prompted the MPs of Ennahda to withdraw from the lower house of the Parliament, during the session of the approval of the said bill.

Even Minister of Interior, Dahou Oueld Kablia, said he was stunned as the Legislative Committee has not accepted any of the 165 proposed amendments.

Spokesman for the Ennahda Movement, Mohamed Hadibi, told Echorouk reporter that “things are not satisfactory, and authorities have to react,” wondering why ignoring the amendments proposed by MPs, including for instance the one that bans citizens with dual nationality to constitute their own political parties, and compel chiefs of political party to declare their properties. 

Meanwhile, the Movement for Society of Peace (MSP) of which MPs voted against the political parties’ bill, decided to hold an extraordinary session for its Shura Council, later this month to decide whether to stay or withdraw from both President’s Alliance, and the Government.

The Labour Party has also expressed indignation over the final version of the reform bills. In this context, Remdane Taazibt, a senior official at the Labour Party said the latter opposes the said political reforms, and urges President Bouteflika to review them. 

Ali Brahimi, a defector MP from the opponent RDC party, said the opposition is a minority inside the Parliament, which hampers it to impose any amendment, amid “the ascendancy” of the President’s Alliance FLN and RND parties. Mr Brahimi said he does not exclude that opposition MPs to get together over a unified initiative to protest against the foiling of the process of reforms.