Algerian leader announces series of reforms but fails to meet expectations

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's proposed political reforms received little support Saturday from independent media and the opposition who claimed he failed to meet calls for real change.
  
The front-page headlines of newspapers expressed the dissatisfied feeling: "Far from Algerians' expectations" ran the El Watan, "Bouteflika ignores the opposition" declared El Khabar, and "Bouteflika disappoints" said Le Soir.
  
In a much-awaited speech Friday night, Bouteflika announced a series of reforms including changes to the constitution and electoral law, and initiatives that would enhance the role of political parties. He said the reforms should be adopted before nationwide elections due in May next year.
  
But the El Watan wrote that the president's proposals support a system which "wants to keep things in hand while making it appear as it is reforming, which it is not."
  
The 74-year-old leader, appearing very tired, spoke for just 20 minutes in what was his first address since the start of popular uprisings that have rocked authoritarian regimes in the Arab world, including in neighboring Tunisia and Libya. He also did not mention any of the demonstrations in his own country calling for political and social change, which began in January shortly after the Tunisian revolt, as he probably did not want to appear to be bowing to pressure from the Arab street, local media said.
  
Algeria's 1996 constitution was last amended in 2009 to allow Bouteflika, first elected in 1999, to seek a third term. He gave no indication of his intentions when his mandate ends in 2014.
  
Bouteflika said he would ask a new constitutional panel of members of recognized political parties and experts in constitutional law to come up with proposals that would be submitted to parliament or a referendum. A "thorough overhaul" of the electoral law will also allow Algerians to "use their right in the best democratic and transparent conditions", he said.  Political parties, regardless of whether they are represented in parliament or not, will take part in the process, he added.
  
He did not talk about changing the government or dissolving the National Assembly which is largely dominated by the three parties in the presidential alliance, another sign to critics of no real systemic change.
  
Bouteflika did hint briefly at the unrest sweeping the Arab world, saying his country respected the sovereignty and unity of all countries and rejected all foreign interference.
  
Alain Juppe, foreign minister of former colonial ruler France, Saturday gave Bouteflika's proposals some endorsement, saying they headed in the right direction. "President Bouteflika announced a certain number of reforms, of the Constitution, political parties, electoral law, decentralization... all that is in the right direction," said Juppe on the sidelines of a conference in Paris on the Arab Spring of pro-democracy movements. "The large movement of popular aspirations for freedom and democracy, which is affecting all of the Maghreb and beyond, to the Persian Gulf, of course, also includes Algeria," he said.