The draft law on parties is a strategic step to strengthen democratic life

The Minister of Interior, Local Communities and Transport, Said Saioud, confirmed that the draft organic law on political parties constitutes a strategic step to strengthen democratic life in Algeria, and places parties at the heart of the national political scene as a responsible and transparent main actor.

This came during Saeed’s presentation before the Legal, Administrative Affairs and Liberties Committee of the National People’s Assembly, on Sunday, a draft law amending and completing Law No. 84-09 of February 4, 1984, relating to the regional organization of the country, as well as a draft organic law related to political parties, in the presence of the Minister of Relations with Parliament, Najiba Djilali, according to a statement by the ministry.

The Minister stressed that the draft law aims to reorganize political practice on more effective constitutional, legal and institutional foundations, making parties a basic pillar for building strong and credible institutions, stressing that this draft comes in response to the directives of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to open the way for in-depth studies and expanded consultations that included various political actors, academic elites and legal experts, in order to formulate an integrated and clear legal text.

Saeed highlighted that the new law, which consists of 97 articles divided into 7 sections, provides parties with a wide scope to practice their activities, and guarantees them effective participation in political life and the right to appeal before judicial authorities, while adhering to national values, the constitution, and the principles of democracy. It is also prohibited for parties to carry out their activities on a religious, regional, or ethnic basis, or to establish subservient relations with foreign interests, in a way that preserves national sovereignty, public order, and democratic values.

The project also aims to enhance the role of parties in public affairs, by contributing to the implementation of government policies, submitting proposals regarding the management of public affairs and formulating public policies. It also includes penalties to combat changing the party affiliation of elected officials, including stripping the elected party of his mandate and removing him from the party list in cases of violation, in order to enhance the ethics of political work.

The new text lays the foundations for democratic deliberation within parties, by setting the term of the political official’s term to five years, renewable only once, and establishes transparency in party financing by banning foreign funding, requiring the declaration of gifts and donations, monitoring financial accounts, and submitting an annual report.

The law also includes the possibility of temporarily suspending the party’s activity or dissolving it in the event that candidates are not presented for two consecutive election dates, ensuring the ability of serious parties to perform their full role in regulating society and forming qualified and informed political elites.

For his part, the head of the committee, Bashir Toumi, stressed that the discussion of two very important legislative texts clearly reflects a firm political will to reform state structures, strengthen governance, and consolidate regional justice. He explained that the text of the voted law related to regional organization is an embodiment of the program of the President of the Republic, which aims to correct the existing imbalances in the regional division and end the manifestations of unfair disparities between the states, in a way that achieves regional equity and balanced development.

He continued that the text of the voted law relating to regional organization dedicates the creation of eleven new states, bringing the number of states in the Republic to sixty-nine states, in a strategic step aimed at rehabilitating the regions, valuing their capabilities, and transforming them into actual poles of development and wealth creation. As for the draft organic law related to political parties, Tommy revealed that this text establishes a modern legal framework that restores partisan work, enhances its credibility, protects it from deviations, and enshrines transparency and democracy. Interior, it also opens the way for youth and women, which contributes to rebuilding bridges of trust between the citizen and the political institution.