Opposition leaves Algerian parliament

The opposition walk-out from the Algerian parliament undercuts the legitimacy of the institution, according to experts.

By Fidet Mansour for Magharebia in Algiers – 14/03/11

In a major blow to the Algerian government, two opposition parties suspended their activities from the People's National Assembly. The Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) and the Algerian National Front (FNA) on Sunday (March 13th) boycotted a plenary session devoted to the ordinance repealing Algeria's state of emergency.

The two parties, who announced their withdrawal last Wednesday, account for nearly forty MPs. With the assembly comprising 388 seats, their absence may seem irrelevant to some, but a number of Algerian political observers say that the symbolism of their walk-out could have serious repercussions across the country's political landscape.

"This is a highly significant gesture politically, and it will further undermine the scant credibility of the weakest parliament ever seen in independent Algeria," journalist Kamel Amarni wrote March 10th in Le Soir d'Algérie.

What are the reasons behind the move? Both parties challenged the political activities of the Algerian government, although for different reasons.

For the RCD, the chief complaint was the ban on Algiers marches and attacks on MPs by police and security forces.

"Since January 2011, the country has seen riots resulting in deaths and many injuries," reads the party statement. "Desperate people have set fire to themselves, and peaceful demonstrations have regularly been stamped out and banned."

According to party chief Said Sadi, who was attacked on March 5th by government supporters, the political struggle is now being played out on the street.

Meanwhile, the FNA halted their parliamentary activities to protest the improper use of presidential orders to pass major laws. "What is the use of having a parliament, when the most important laws, such as the supplementary finance bill, are proclaimed through presidential decrees?" the party wondered.

"MPs have seen their roles shrink to such an extent that they now simply get paid to raise their hands and vote through third degree laws," party chairman Moussa Touati said.

"This is the first stage in our fight to get the people's wishes acted upon," he said.

The speaker of the lower house preferred to avoid the subject, making no comment during the Sunday plenary session.

In their turn, the ruling coalition parties, the National Liberation Front (FLN), the National Democratic Rally (RND) and the Movement for the Society of Peace (MSP), commented that "each party is free to express its opinion in whatever way it deems most effective". Still, they pointed out that the opposition had rushed into "radicalizing their movement".

Public opinion is divided over the issue. While some applauded the opposition move, others had reservations about the timing.

"The president has been legislating by decree for nearly ten years," Slimane Ourida, an expert on national politics, told Magharebia. "The ban on marches is nothing new. Political repression has been going on for some time. What's prevented the two parties from taking action up until now? Why have they chosen to be a part of an assembly which they say has no power?"

The suspension of activities comes in the last term of the current parliament, he said, which is "a preliminary campaign for the 2011 elections".

According to Karim Bachiri, the withdrawal is a significant gesture. But many people, like politics student Imene Souileh, underscored that the walk-out from a parliament "which is not legitimate and is completely out of touch with the needs of the people makes no sense".

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/03/14/feature-01.