Algeria recently revised their constitution as a way to calm down the protests they’ve been having for over a year, but it did the exact opposite. Government officials believe that the new constitution is a great win for the people, but activists say it’s giving more power to the elite and to the president. President Tebboune has declared that the new constitution is needed to stop the slide towards authoritarianism, but tensions, protests, and political dissatisfaction has only increased.
Protests in Algeria started last February when former President Bouteflika tried to run for a 5th term, even after he made a change to the constitution in 2016 to reimpose the two-term limit. Bouteflika soon resigned after the military retracted their support of his administration. Interim President Bensalah promised to end the protests, but he turned out to be a corrupt leader and called for new elections. In the election of 2019, less than 40% of the eligible voters participated in the elections. President Tebboune won and promised to improve the democratic government.
People weren’t asking for a new constitution, but President Tebboune decided to revise it. Tebboune has almost absolute power and the constitution only increased his influence. The parliament has no foothold in decision making and can’t oppose the president. Tebboune swears he’s a democratic leader, yet he keeps oppressing the media. The constitution already includes first amendment rights, such as freedom of speech and the press, but the government still denies permits for peaceful protests.
There is no end in sight for the protests in Algeria until real reforms are made to the democracy. Protestors weren’t asking for a new constitution, they wanted political reforms like better representation in parliament, less corruption, and more job opportunities to fix unemployment.
All the domestic issues in Algeria right now stem from the flawed democracy. There is a lack of participation in elections, oppression of civil liberties, and problems with government function. The government will work in some cases, but won’t make the reforms the people ask for.