Parliament's International Work Conditional Upon Competence and Specialisation
The missions of the Council of the Nation abroad will be subject to strict regulatory control, as proposed in a new clause included in the draft bylaws of the council, currently under discussion.
This control aims to better convey Algeria's voice and the state's positions, within the framework of what is called 'parliamentary foreign diplomacy,' and to counter attempts to distort them and mislead international public opinion.
The clause stipulates the adoption of competency and specialisation criteria in selecting Council members participating in diplomatic missions and international parliamentary conferences, to improve the quality of representation and strengthen the presence of Algerian parliamentary diplomacy abroad.
This proposal, which is expected to be included in the draft internal regulations of the upper house of parliament, falls within the framework of adopting more precise and rigorous criteria for selecting members of the Council of the Nation who participate in diplomatic missions and international parliamentary activities.
It is also based on the principle of linking the MPs' specialisation with the nature of the task to which they are assigned, whether political, economic, legal, or technical, to ensure qualitative representation that reflects the competence of the parliamentary institution and its ability to interact constructively with issues raised in international forums. This approach is also expected to contribute to reducing previous imbalances in the composition of delegations and enhance the presence of the Algerian Council of the Nation as an effective and influential legislative body internationally.
This draft, if officially adopted in the final version of the Council of the Nation's bylaws, aims to enhance the effectiveness of Algerian parliamentary diplomacy and direct it toward more professional performance that is integrated with the state's foreign policy.
It is expected to contribute to unifying Algeria's discourse within international forums, ensuring that the positions of the representatives of the upper house are consistent with Algeria's official orientations, particularly concerning defending the country's sovereignty, protecting its strategic interests, and affirming its principles and positions on various regional and international issues under discussion on the global stage.
In his speech following his election as Speaker of the Council of the Nation, Azouz Nasri, chairman of the Upper House of Parliament, replacing Saleh Goudjil, emphasised the growing importance of parliamentary diplomacy in the current regional and international context. He emphasised that the Council's representatives abroad are required to play a critical role that keeps pace with developments in the international scene and reflects the Algerian state's principles and sovereign positions.
In his address, Nasri called for the need to enhance the level of participation of parliament members in international forums, not only in terms of attendance, but also in terms of influence and effective advocacy for the country's supreme interests. This directly intersects with the content of the proposed article to be included in the council's bylaws.
It should be noted that the senators had recently reopened the file on the internal regulations of the upper house of parliament, seeking to finalise its provisions after the document had made significant progress during the term of the previous council's speaker.
According to information previously published by Echorouk, the heads of parliamentary blocs in the lower chamber of parliament have re-raised this issue and made it a top priority, given its importance in organising and regulating parliamentary work, alongside the compensation issue, which is also receiving considerable attention within the council.
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