(4 minutes read)
· The Algerian government hopes that the new constitution will finally neutralize a protest movement called Hirak- which at its peak last year, forced longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power following mass protests
· Hirak is the peaceful nature of the massive protests against Algeria’s undemocratic regime. The protests signal the universal reclamation of the people’s right to perform who they are and who they want to be
· Hirak movement staged several weekly demonstrations for more than a year until the coronavirus pandemic stopped rallies
Algerians voted in a referendum yesterday to revise the constitution. The government hopes that the new constitution will finally neutralize a protest movement called Hirak- which at its peak last year, forced
longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power following mass protests.
Despite a determined government media campaign for a resounding affirmative vote to usher in a “new Algeria”, its critics say it offered little in terms of meeting the aspirations of the people. The Hirak has rejected the document and called for a boycott of voting.
Hirak is the peaceful nature of the massive protests against Algeria’s undemocratic regime. The protests signal the universal reclamation of the people’s right to perform who they are and who they want to be. Hirak movement staged several weekly demonstrations for more than a year until the coronavirus pandemic stopped rallies.
Observers say this time, everything pointed to an extremely low turnout in the vote, and a crushing defeat for the ruling regime. The turnout rate was just up to 18% according to Mohammed Charfi, the president of the Independent National Authority on Elections.
Bouteflika’s successor Abdelmadjid Tebboune, is currently hospitalized in Germany. He referred to the new constitution as meeting the demands of the Algerians. Tebboune has placed Sunday’s referendum at the forefront of efforts to turn the page on the Hirak movement. The amendments, among other things, limit the presidential tenure to two five-year terms and commit the president to choosing a prime minister from the majority bloc in parliament. The proposed changes, however, also give the head of state the power to appoint the governor of the central bank, the chief justice of the constitutional court, and four of its 12 members. The vote is being held on the 66th anniversary of Algeria’s war of independence from France as a gesture to invoke their patriotic feelings.
Tebboune has reached out to the youth describing the movement as a “blessed, authentic popular movement” and argued that the revised constitution meets its demands. But the youngsters seem to be not buying the conciliatory language and tone of the president. The youth feel that the drafting and consultation process of the new constitution was highly controlled by the state.
The Hirak movement led calls for a boycott of that vote. The official data put the turnout at less than 40 percent. The 74-year-old president has been hospitalized in Germany amid reports of COVID-19 cases among his staff, and few details have been released on his condition. Experts say the referendum is partly a bid for a more convincing validation at the ballot box.
