Algeria seriously preparing for constitution revision: President

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said Monday that his country is taking serious steps to revise its constitution, media reported.

"Algeria is seriously preparing for the revision of its constitution on the basis of the results of the ongoing broad consultations, which involve all segments of society," the Algerian Press Service (APS) quoted Bouteflika said in a written message to the African Scientific Conference in Algiers.

He said the aim of the constitution revision is "building consensus around key issues and ensuring the effectiveness of new constitutional provisions", Xinhua reported citing the APS report.

"It is clear that the objective is to facilitate the process of openness of Algerian society by working to preserve its stability and sparing it troubles faced by different countries in the world, " he noted.

In mid-May, Bouteflika announced that wide consultations over the constitution revision will be held with 150 political, economic and social partners. A draft copy of the amended constitution was distributed to political parties and civil society associations.

For 40 days, State Minister and Chief of Staff of the President Office, Ahmed Ouyahia, has held meetings with political groups, civil society representatives and academics to discuss the constitutional amendments proposed by Bouteflika before drawing up a new charter.

Prominent opposition parties, both Islamist and secular, are still refusing to take part in the consultations, saying President Bouteflika should have convened a national dialogue to debate a new constitution, rather than distributing a copy of an already prepared one.

After the debate, the amended constitution would be submitted to the constitutional committee installed by Bouteflika for review. It would be put up for a popular referendum as a final step before approval.