ALGIERS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Nearly a month after the parliamentary elections on May 10, Algerians are still waiting for the announcement of the new government.
In Algeria, the constitution does not limit a given time for the setting up of a new government.
"Let's be clear, the law does not stipulate a specific time for the announcement of the government," political analyst Hamid Ghoumrassa told Xinhua.
"We are used to seeing the Prime Minister submitting the resignation of his team shortly after the announcement of the parliamentary elections, but this time, things have not run as quick as the previous times," Ghoumrassa said.
As whether the internal conflicts hitting some major parties in Algeria have somehow been a factor that led to the delayed announcement, Ghoumrassa said "Well, this could be one of the reasons, but not the major one, since as I said, there is not a specific timetable for the announcement of the government, thus it is hard to say."
Meanwhile, the local TSA news website reported that the new government would not be announced until July 15, quoting a well- informed source as saying that "We should probably wait until that the baccalaureate exams and festivities of the Independence Day ( July 5) pass before the new government to be announced."
It is believed that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika aims to form a national unity, in which all the existing political tendencies would be represented within. But such a "wish" may not come true, as some key parties have declined proposals to participate in the upcoming government.
"I don't think President Bouteflika will manage to form a government with different parties, simply because the major opponent parties have declined to participate, including the Worker's Party (PT) and the Socialist Forces Front (FFS)," said the analyst.
In this regard, Louiza Hanoune, the PT's secretary-general, excluded any participation, saying "the share of power should be based on the results of the parliamentary elections; otherwise it would be an anti-democratic procedure, if we took part."
The FFS, the oldest opposition group in the North African nation, has not expressed clearly his decision. Responding to the question whether his party would partake in the upcoming government, the National Secretary-General of the FFS, Amar Laskri, told reporters that "the issue still has not been evoked at the party."
The prominent Islamist opponent, Abdellah Djaballah, head of the Front of Justice and Development (FJD), stated recently that " we have declined an offer to join the government," adding "some members of the party have been approached to join the government with two ministries, but they have snubbed such an offer, because we are committed to militancy."
Meanwhile, another Islamist party, the Movement of the Society of Peace (MSP), also decided not to join the new government, but a key senior official at this party, namely former Minister of Public Work, Amar Ghoul, disobeyed his party's decision, and eventually declared ready to accept a ministerial portfolio "to continue serving my country."
Some media reports predicted that Bouteflika might propose the post of the Prime Minister to Ghoul.
It should be noted that the MSP, who had been in the government since 1995, used to be part of the Presidential Alliance with the National Liberation Front (FLN) and the National Democratic Rally (RND) since 2004, before withdrawing from it early this year.
According to Ghoumrassa, the new government will be composed of new ministers, who belong to the current two major parties in the newly elected parliament, the FLN and the RND, in addition to some technocrat personalities and maybe some independent Islamist ones.
|
