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Algerians were invited to vote Sunday on a constitutional amendment that is supposed to establish a “new republic”, in a popular referendum in which President Abdelmadjid Tebboune seeks to turn the page on his election, which was rejected by the “popular movement” that it opposes all the structures of the system.
Reporters Without Borders called on Tebboune to ensure that the “new Algeria” witnesses real progress in the field of press freedom, according to the statement from the organization’s North Africa office, Suhaib Khayati.
The constitutional amendment focuses on a series of rights and freedoms that respond to the aspirations of the “Harakis”, but keeps all elements of the presidential system as they are and extends the powers of the army.
Khayati acknowledged that these constitutional guarantees represent a “step forward in terms of the right and freedom of the media in Algeria”, but considered that “they cannot be effective if current national legislation, especially the penal code, is incompatible with it. new constitution “.
In parallel, Reporters Without Borders recalled Algeria’s international obligations in the field of the media and freedom of the press.
According to the organization’s ranking on respect for press freedom for the year 2020, Algeria is ranked 146 (out of 180 countries), five places less than in 2019 and 27 places compared to 2015.
