President Bouteflika may run for a third term in Algeria

20/11/2007

Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem is calling on his party supporters to campaign for an amendment of the constitution to allow the re-election of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2009.

By Achira Mammeri for Magharebia in Algiers – 20/11/07

[Getty Images] A constitutional amendment would allow Bouteflika a third term as president

Putting an end to widespread speculation about succession in 2009, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem announced last week that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will soon seek to amend the constitution to run for a third term.

During a meeting at the National People's Assembly on November 14th, Belkhadem called on National Liberation Front (FLN) MPs to support the efforts for a third term with a campaign to raise public awareness and by backing the draft law once submitted to parliament.

Belkhadem has been promoting the amendment plan while canvassing for the November 29th local elections. During a meeting in Constantine on Monday, he called on FLN supporters to campaign for the re-election of the president. The prime minister was quoted in Algerian daily Liberte as saying the third term "is not a campaign slogan; rather it is a call to party supporters to advance the policy of national reconciliation."

Under article 74 of the Algerian constitution the president serves a five-year term and may be re-elected just once. Bouteflika has been elected twice, in 1999 and 2004, and is due to leave office in 16 months.

To guarantee the success of his plan Belkhadem, head of government and Secretary-General of majority FLN, will need the support of his deputies, especially as they are divided between those who support Belkhadem and those who support rival Ali Benflis (unsuccessful 2004 presidential candidate and former FLN leader).

In a highly-publicised November 14th interview with Italian news agency Ansa, President Bouteflika refused to discuss succession.

Answering a question on the subject, Bouteflika replied: "You are trying to lead me into idle speculation. I will not go down that route, but I will all the same stress how determined I am, under all circumstances, to respect the sovereignty of the Algerian people and all its means for democratic expression."

Since taking office, President Bouteflika has conducted a thorough review of a number of fundamental state laws. Earlier this year, Belkhadem said that three amendment proposals had been forwarded for consideration to the president. The government was expected to hold a referendum on the revision of the country's constitution later this year to propose a shift from a parliamentary to a presidential system.

Proponents of a third term for Bouteflika have long faced opposition due to the leader's perceived poor health. In 2006 the leader underwent surgery for a perforated stomach ulcer, but Algerian daily El Nahar declared Saturday, citing government doctors, that "President Bouteflika's convalescence has been completed."

Many political parties are waiting for an official announcement by Bouteflika before adopting a stance. Chihab Seddik, number three man in the National Rally for Democracy, told Magharebia: "It is best to wait for an official announcement of the date of the referendum before talking about this issue." Party Secretary-General Ahmed Ouyahia has already stated however that he would support any moves made by the president, including constitutional revision.

Islamist party Movement of Society for Peace, also of the presidential alliance, is adopting the same stance. "There’s still a lot of confusion about this issue. We do not know whether the President of the Republic wants to revise the fundamental text as a whole, or to simply revise article 74 to be able to stand for a further term," said party Vice-President Abdelkader Mokre.

"In the second case," he added, "the real question to be answered is this: Are you in favour of a third term for the president – yes or no?" Only the party’s consultative committee will be able to answer that."

In the event the president chooses the first option, Mokre said the party "will insist that human rights and political freedoms, as well as the preservation of national continuity, are assured."