Political reforms in Algeria sovereign decision: PM

Algeria Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said Sunday that political reforms in the country are a sovereign decision instead of being dictated by foreign forces.

Ouyahia told a press conference here that the reforms have nothing to do with protests erupted in January, referring to demonstrations provoked by the soaring food prices which coincided with a wave of unrest in the Arab region.

"The situation in Algeria is not the same as countries which have witnessed turbulence in recent months," Ouyahia said, adding that Algeria "has traversed an important path in terms of democracy, and today there are 40 independent parties, 80 newspapers and 60 non-affiliated trade unions."

Ouyahia further called on the opposition to "participate massively and efficiently to make those reforms a success."

Algeria President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has pledged to implement political reforms with the consent of the majority of political actors in the country.

The reforms include making amendments to the constitution and other laws and codes, including the election code, party code, information law and the representation of women in elected councils.

Source: Xinhua

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