Algerians Vote In Referendum On Constitutional Change

Polls opened in Algeria for a vote on a revised constitution the regime hopes will neutralise a protest movement which at its peak last year raze Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power

ALGIERS

Polls opened in Algeria on Sunday for a vote on a revised constitution the regime hopes will neutralise a protest movement which at its peak last year swept long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power.

Bouteflika’s successor Abdelmadjid Tebboune, currently hospitalised overseas, has pitched the text as meeting the demands of the Hirak, a movement that staged vast weekly demonstrations for more than a year, until the coronavirus pandemic stopped rallies.

But despite a determined government media campaign for a resounding “yes” vote to usher in a “new Algeria”, observers say the document offers little new.

“Nothing has changed. The ultra-presidential regime will stay,” said Massena’s Cherbi, a constitutional expert at Sciences Po university in Paris.

Tebboune has placed Sunday’s referendum at the forefront of efforts to turn the page on the Hirak movement.

And after a campaign that saw the “yes” camp dominate state-backed media coverage and supporters of a “no” vote banned from holding meetings, few observers doubt that the text will pass.