Algeria: Constitutional reform: another week of postponement

Last week, we reported that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika would address the nation between 9th and 15th April to announce a conference to debate the revision of the Constitution. That report came from Tout sur l'Algérie which was quoting a “source close to the President”. A week has gone by without any such announcement. Indeed, this has been the pattern of events since the second week of January.

Reports of ministerial changes, constitutional reforms and such like, coming from usually very reliable sources, have been rolled out by the regime almost on a weekly basis for around three months but with little or no consequence.

This is partly because the regime is trying to buy time, but also because it does not know what to do. It fears that any concession will open a door that can never be closed. This is what is happening on the socio-economic front with almost every interest group in the country being paid-off with wage rises and similar deals to stop them taking their economic demands to the political level.

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