The Algerian government approved the constitutional draft amendment which will be issued in a presidential order after the parliament vote and the referendum scheduled for November 1.
The constitutional amendment reached its final turning point and will be presented to more than a thousand political partners for revision, after they submitted proposals on the initial document following its disclosure in March.
Issa bin Lakhdar, the advisor to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, told state radio that the referendum is a second step in the path of change that the Algerian people witnessed through the popular movement last year.
The official said that voting “yes” to the new constitution means moving quickly to amending the laws and renewing the institutions, notably the judiciary.
The amendment of the constitution includes allowing the country's army to participate in peacekeeping operations abroad, which represents a change in the army's doctrine, according to some observers.
The left-wing Workers Party rejected this proposal, saying that it would engage the national army into unnecessary international crises.
The constitutional amendment also 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.”
Meanwhile, the Army Magazine said in its September issue that comprehensive and radical change has already started in Algeria, despite the obstacles that it faces, such as the coronavirus pandemic and other “fabricated” problems aimed at creating social tensions and destabilizing national unity.
The monthly magazine stressed that the attempts to deprive the people of their right to change that allow true national competencies to rule will fail. Observers believe that the magazine is referring to the opposition that rejects amending the constitution.
The magazine reiterated that Algeria will never back down from the path that it has taken to achieve its goals.
