The leader of the Algerian Islamist Justice and Development Front, Abdallah Djaballah, said the constitutional draft amendment has been proposed by figures aiming to secularize the society and destroy Islam.
The Movement of Society for Peace as well as a number of opposition parties have rejected the proposed amendments over issues relating to identity and Islam.
The draft is expected to be referred to the parliament for a vote, after which it will be submitted for a referendum by the end of the year.
Presidential aide Mohammed Laqab has previously announced that the text has been drafted in French and then translated to Arabic, which angered the Islamist movements and conservatives.
The constitutional amendment creates a new position for the vice president, and replaces the “first minister” with a prime minister appointed by the president, and not named by a parliamentary majority.
It also proposes replacing the “constitutional court” with the “constitutional council.”
In a statement, Djaballah slammed the draft amendment, saying its clauses contradict the references of the Algerian Muslim people.
He said it was based on the corrupt Western and French thought, which can’t maintain the interests of Algerians, their rights and freedoms.
Djaballah protested the mechanisms adopted in drafting the text, which he said were determined by secular elites.
He explained that the draft was sent to nearly 2,000 parties, organizations, and figures, while giving the constitutional committee the right to accept or reject their comments.
The Islamist leader indicated that the process contradicted the public service duty in consulting specialists. He noted that the committee aims to impose its own project that runs against the nation’s principles, and threatens its language, unity and sovereignty.
Political activists have called for modifying article 2 of the constitution which states “Islam is the religion of the state,” on the pretext that it “excludes Algerians of other faiths.”
Algerians were also divided on another article which declares the Amazigh as well as Arabic as "a national and official language of the state.”
The Justice and Development Front called for replacing the committee of 15 constitutional experts, with a committee of competent figures with different specialties.
It stressed that the new committee should set a new draft constitution that respects the principles of the people and maintains the achievements of the 1954 revolution and the protests of February 2019, which ousted former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
The committee should establish legitimate institutions that meet the ambitions of Algerians in achieving justice, equality, freedom, and progress, according to the Front.
