Mixed Reactions As Constitional Change Paves Way For Abdelaziz Bouteflika to join Club of Life Presidents
By Ajong Mbapndah L
Opposition parties in the North African country of Algeria have lashed out at a constitutional amendment taking off presidential term limits describing it as a ploy to enable current leader Abdelazziz Bouteflika enjoy a life presidency.Serving his second and last term of office, the amendment offers the 71 old President of Africa’s third largest economy the opportunity to grab another term for himself. While the vote which took place on wednesday november 12 is music to ears of supporters of the status quo like Prime Minister Ahmed Ouayia, there have been mixed reactions from many other Algerians.
Contrary to Boutleflika’s claim that the amendment will offer Algerians the opportunity to freely chose leaders of their liking,the opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy Party sees nothing in it but a desire by Bouteflika to remain in power for life.Said Sadi a leader of the party called the revision a hold up aimed at “institutionalizing the tribal character of power” .The Socialist Forces Front which calls the shots in the Berber speaking Kabylie Region opposes the move in strong terms describing it as a strategy to monopolize power and a putsch which heralds political and moral regression. Karim Tabbou First Secretary of the party told the Arabic Language Daily newspaper El Khabar that Algeria is being managed like a super market and people have been living under the same regime since independence in 1962.
The reaction in leading media groups also echoed fears of the opposition parties.The headlines of Le Quotidien d’Oran read ” Third Term Here We Go” while that on El Watan was “Third Term Takes Shape”. A private French Language paper, El Watan went further in its reaction to say “by adding itself to the handful of States in the World, the Arab World in particular which have written lifetime presidencies into their constitutions and consolidated personal or hereditary powers, Algeria is jumping backwards”. ” Bouteflika treats himself to a third mandate” said the private French Language paper Le Soir d’Algerie. The current leadership the paper went on had by this move “killed the principle of alternation of power by organizing its funeral at the palais des Nations Hall.”
Partisans of Bouteflika however have a different view on the developments. Abdelaziz Belkhadem Secretary General of the ruling National Liberation Front of President Bouteflika says the amendment was necessary to enhance democratic practices while clearifying relations between institutions and various power organs.The government newspaper El Moudjahid considered the amendment as a response to popular calls to lift the two term presidential limit asking “why change a winning team”
Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia says the amendments would be enacted by Parliament and the Senate before November runs out thus paving the way for Bouteflika to be ready before Presidential elections are held in April of next year. With a population of 34 million people, Algeria which is a member of the elite oil producing cartel OPEC, has experienced violence on and off since 1992 when legislative elections set to be won by the radical Islamic Salvation Front were scrapped by a military backed government.
In power since 1999 President Bouteflika is credited with improved security in his country despite sporadic attacks from islamic groups and has close ties with the west for unwavering support to the US-led war on terror. To many who hoped that the historic victory of Senator Barack Obama in the recent US-Presidential elections will user in a new dawn for democracy in the continent, the constitutional change in Algeria represents a serious setback.
Taking off term limits is the latest technique used by African leaders to cling on to power.Besides President Bouteflika who is the latest addition others include Paul Biya of Cameroon who resisted violent protests in Febuary of this year and went ahead to take off term limits in the constitution despite serving as President since 1982. Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso who seized power in 1987, took off term limits in 1997, and won a landslide victory in 2005. Omar Bongo President of Gabon since 1967, changed the constitution in 2003 to enable him in seek multiple re-elections .Lansana Conte of Guinea, Youweri Museveni of Uganda, Ben Ali of Tunisia and Idriss Derby of Chad are all part of this club.