Isn’t it funny that while Algerians are debating whether or not to abolish term limits for their presidents, Mauritanians have just approved a constitution that provides for term limits on presidents (and compels the president to pledge before God that he will not attempt to modify these limits), and other checks on the executive?
77% Mauritanians turned out for the referendum, with 97% of them voting “yes” to the Constitution. According to Al Jazeera, Colonel Vall, the main ring leader of last summer’s coup that deposed former president Ouled Taya, has also proposed the prohibition of coup members from running in the upcoming presidential elections.
Congrats to the Mauritanians.
This is great news. It is nice to know that while the Algerian government is preparing to abuse its powers, by effectively making Bouteflika’s term in office perpetual, another Maghrebi country is moving taking steps to entrench the democratic process and the separation of powers in their country.
The leader of the FLN (and current Prime Minister) has expressed a desire to amend the Algerian Constitution to make it such that presidents may be elected as many times as the people wish, contrary to the current system in which one man may be elected twice to the presidency. Now, the president, the PM (and former PM Ouyahia), the FLN and NRD and their supporters want to:
* No limit to presidential mandates – the president will be able to be reelected indefinitely, rather than, as now, being limited to two terms. But he insists that “this isn’t a president-for-life”.
* A post of vice-president – named by the President.
* Prime minister to replace post of head of government – prime minister to be designated by the President.
* Various promises about the right to demonstrate, equality of chances, freedom of religion, etc. (via Lameen, linked above)
The first point is interesting, the promise that this proposal will not lead Algeria back down the path of a one party state. Why? Because it is coming from the mouth of the leader of the party that was once The Party, in Algeria in the 1984 sense of the phrase, told El Watan that (using Lameen’s translation), “the former single party wants to reinstall a long-overturned political system”! What is that long-overturned system? The one where the executive trumps all and the ruling party sits in the Presidential Palace for as long as it sees fit. The good old days!
This initiative has gotten support, as alluded to earlier, from some heavy hitters. Former PM Ouyahia told El Watan that he supports the initiative because the president does. How ever patriotic! President Bouteflika will announce that he supports this retrograde proposal on, of all days of the year, July 5, Algerian independence day. Too bad Revolution Day was not an option. Again, how ever patriotic.
Given Bouteflika’s record with referendums, it would be conventional to estimate that this one will get anywhere from 70-90-odd% of the voters’ approval. But perhaps Algerians will be attuned to this travesty, and will vote it down. Maybe Algerians will say Enough is enough Boutef, stop sucking up all the power you can! Stop trying to be Boumedienne and die in office! Maybe they will be like the Mauritanians. Maybe they will be bold and strike this horrible idea down. Maybe.