Political tension and unrest have been prominent in the Algerian political landscape over the past few months. Unending protests, which started in February 2019, led to the resignation of long-term President Abdoulazez Bouteflika in April 2019. However, this is not the first time civil agitations have led to political or constitutional changes.
In 1988 riots in Algeria led to a change in the constitution to allow for a multi-party system. A military coup in 1992 prevented the Islamic Salvation Front form winning in elections. In 2019, Bouteflika’s bid to stay for a fifth term in office sparked intense protests forcing him to resign. But this did not end the protests, rather the protests grew with new demands for reforms in government, and was named the Hirak movement An election held in December 2019, bringing Abdelmadjid Tebboure into power, and his first point of action was to conduct a referendum that will see yet again another set of constitutional changes. What are these new changes and do they reflect the demands of the Algerian people?
What is in the Referendum?
The referendum seeks to approve changes to the constitution that will introduce presidential term limits of two terms, set up a unit that will investigate corruption, give more powers to parliament by letting them pass a vote of no confidence on any underperforming prime minister, as well as allow the president appoint the Prime Minister from the majority bloc in parliament. The new constitution will also allow Algerian military to be deployed abroad for missions. Experts fear that this part of the referendum has not been properly articulated.
How Did Algerians Respond To These Changes?
The vote held on the 66th Anniversary of the Algerian War of Independence from France but may not have been so symbolic for Algerians as an overwhelming low voter turnout 23.7% was witnessed at the referendum. This is a pointer that these changes may not be a priority for the Hirak who had called on their members to boycott the referendum.
“It’s hard to argue that the Hirak’s demands for a fully inclusive debate on the state’s constitution were respected,” Zaid al-Ali, an expert on constitutions in the Arab world told Al-Jazeera. The Hirak protest movement called for a “fully inclusive debate on the state’s constitution” due to declining trust in government and its legitimacy. While the referendum has over 60% of votes in favour of the new changes, it remains to see the next step for the Algerian Hirak movement who have rejected the changes.
