Algeria – Are we about to lose an SP country?

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria has announced his desire to see a set of constitutional amendments passed some time prior to the next presidential election, which is scheduled for April 2009.

Jeune afrique reports that parliament will be asked to pass the amendments. If parliament passes the amendments (and there can scarcely be any doubt about that), the Constitution usually requires a referendum, though there are circumstances under which a referendum can be avoided (Arts. 174-176). According to one Algerian newspaper, it seems as if President Bouteflika is proposing to pass the reform without the need for a referendum.

One aspect of the reform is likely to be an amendment to Art. 74, which currently allows the president to be re-elected only once. President Bouteflika was elected in 1999 and 2004. So, the revision of this article is likely to allow him to be able to stand again in 2009.

However, there has been an ongoing debate in Algeria as to whether the post of prime minister should be abolished. In this context, one of three main axes of the reform is the following: “la réorganisation, la précision et la clarification des prérogatives et des rapports entre les constituants du pouvoir exécutif sans pour autant toucher aux équilibres des pouvoirs”. This clarifies very little, but it certainly leaves open the possibility that the premiership will be abolished. If you assume that the country is already presidentialised, then the abolition of the prime minister would not amount to any change in the ‘equilibrium of powers’.

Moreover, in his speech President Bouteflika went on to say: “Un pouvoir exécutif doit être fort, uni et cohérent, à même d’assumer ses responsabilités et de décider avec célérité et efficacité, de sorte à éviter les dualités et les contradictions et de dépasser les effets négatifs induits par l’incapacité à coordonner certains programmes. Ces dualités et ces contradictions conduisent finalement à l’émiettement et à la dissolution de la responsabilité et au chevauchement des décisions, induisant par là même un retard dans l’exécution des programmes et la réalisation de nos projets, portant ainsi atteinte aux intérêts du peuple et de la nation”. I am not an expert in how to read Algerian presidential statements, but given the reference to the problems of ‘dualism’ within the executive, and knowing that there have been problems between presidents and prime ministers in the past, this sounds to me like a presidential system is about to be introduced.

President Bouteflika’s speech is available here.

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