The People's National Assembly: The past 18 Months
16 February, 1999
Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
'Legislative Power' from 1962 to 1997
The period of one-party democracy
1962 - 1965: The first Assembly.
1965 - 1977: The 'revolutionary Council'
1977 - 1991: The People's National Assembly (PNA)
Opening up to democracy
The end of the one-party system
May/June 1991: The FIS insurrection and strike.
December 1991: The first multi-party legislative elections are aborted
1992 - 1997: The 'transition period'
The June 1997 legislative elections
Proportional representation
A multi-party election
Election Controls
A controversial campaign
A very tense election period
Contested results
Opposition grievances
International observers divided
The multi-party assembly
Redrawing the political landscape
The 'nationalist' movement
The 'Islamist' movement
The 'democratic' movement
The 'independents'
The 'objective' alliances
The majority: the 'Islamist nationalist' bloc
The divided opposition
How The Assembly Functions
Organisation chart
Parliamentary immunity
Law-making
Government bills and private members' bills
Amendments
Voting procedures
Power of control over the executive
Approving the government's programme
Oral and written questions
Government summoned to answer questions ('Interpellation')
Resolutions on government policy
Censure motions
Votes of confidence
Committees of enquiry
Assessing the Assembly's work over the past 18 months
A difficult beginning
The main topics of debate
Signs of progress towards democracy
A forum for opposition
The refusal to accept electoral fraud
Sensitive questions under debate
Room for improvement
Law-making
Exercising control over the executive
Bringing morality into public life
Important issues still to be dealt with
Family law code
The press code
Reform of the education system
Conclusions
Electoral fraud
Arab-Islamic ideology
Recommendations
Set up a framework conducive to free and open elections
Preventing electoral fraud
National controls
International controls
Revision of sensitive laws
Human rights
Support for the democracy movement
Annexes
Annexe A : The legislative elections of 5 June 1997
Annexe B : The multi-party Assembly
Annexe C : Bills debate during the first year of the legislature
Annexe D: The main parties represented in the PNA
Annexe E : Organisation chart of the PNA
Annexe E 1 : Organisation chart of the PNA
Annexe F : The Assembly's preoragatives (extracts from the Constitution)
Annexe G : Index of initials and abbreviations
Annexe H : Bibliography
