The Parliament Session Wraps Up Amid Conflict between Bensalah and Ziari

There is a silent conflict rising to the surface between the two houses of the Parliament, amid the controversy over the competence of the latter, in terms of putting the legislative frame to the reforms being called by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, pressed by the “Arab Spring.”

The Parliament’s session of this year wraps up today amid unanimity of the political class to dissolve it. 

The session has been marked by a unique “achievement”: the setting up of a finding fact panel to investigate on the last January social protest. Yet, the parliamentary panel has not made public any report.

 Observers believe that a silent conflict has sparked between the head of the People’s National Assembly (APN) Abdelaziz Ziari, and head of the Council of the Nation, Abdelkader Bensalah.

In fact, Mr Ziari has not accepted depriving him from chairing the consultation panel for political reforms, mostly as his “archrival,” head of the upper house of the Parliament, has been selected, instead, to assure such a mission. 

 Mr Ziari said once that he proposes to dissolve the upper house, and adopt the APN as the unique house of the Parliament. He tended by this statement to present the Council of the Nation as part of the crisis that hits the country.