Algiers — The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, on Tuesday delivered an address to the participants of the Third International Conference of the Constitutional Court, held under the theme "The Role of Constitutional Review in the Protection of Rights and Freedoms in Algeria and Comparative Systems" at Abdelatif Rahal International Conference Centre. The address was read on his behalf by the Constitutional Court's President Leila Aslaoui.
The full text follows:
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and peace and blessings be upon the noblest of messengers.
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests of Algeria, peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.
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It gives me great pleasure to welcome you as our country hosts this international legal conference, which has become an established annual institutional tradition reflecting the vitality of Algeria's constitutional judiciary, its openness to global experiences, and its commitment to building bridges of scientific exchange aimed at strengthening the edifice of constitutional justice.
The convening of this conference renews the pledge we have made to the Algerian people to build a State governed by the rule of law, founded on the supremacy of the Constitution and its provisions, and in which the protection of rights and freedoms is firmly embedded in the work of all its institutions.
It is a pledge to build a State in which no injustice prevails, a State whose foundations rest on the supremacy of the Constitution and which enshrines the protection of fundamental rights and the promotion of freedoms as a firm doctrine that runs through the conscience and conduct of all institutions of the Republic without exception.
This pledge draws its inspiration from the Declaration of 1 November 1954, the historic document that restored Algeria as a sovereign democratic and social State.
The November Declaration was the founding charter of the revolution and liberation.
Today, it remains the moral and political reference for building a new Algeria and consolidating the true meaning of citizenship.
Ladies and gentlemen, since the historic turning point of the constitutional amendment of November 2020, we have committed ourselves to making the Constitutional Court a cornerstone of institutional stability and a safeguard for genuine democratic practice.
The path of constitutional and legal reform in our country is marked by courage and pragmatism. In this spirit, the most recent constitutional amendment addressed certain provisions that practical experience had shown to be deficient, necessitating revision to align them with societal aspirations and to prevent any interpretation that might hinder the effectiveness of constitutional institutions or undermine the essence of fundamental freedoms.
This confirms that our Constitution is a living document that evolves with the nation and is not a static text.
Your choice of constitutional review as the central theme of this conference lies at the heart of our comprehensive reform project.
In Algeria, we do not regard constitutional review as a purely technical mechanism; we see it as a major sovereign guarantee, intended above all else to strengthen citizens' confidence in the laws of their Republic.
To this end, we have ensured that citizens play an active role in this oversight mechanism through the introduction of the plea of unconstitutionality, whose procedures we have simplified to enable every rights holder to access constitutional justice with ease and confidence.
Our vision of a victorious new Algeria cannot be fully realized without an effective, independent and commanding constitutional judiciary, equipped with the legal and procedural tools necessary to curb any excess, and to prevent any interpretation that may compromise the supremacy of the constitutional text or infringe upon the individual and collective freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
Ladies and gentlemen, Algeria today, while proudly reflecting on its national experience and drawing on comparative legal systems, reaffirms its firm belief that the protection and promotion of rights and freedoms are universal human values that transcend borders.
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These values require, more than ever, close international cooperation to strengthen their safeguards in the face of accelerating challenges and profound global transformations.
Allow me, on this distinguished occasion, to commend the efforts of the Constitutional Court and its commitment to consolidating this annual international tradition, which elevates the standards of national legal scholarship.
We look forward with full confidence to the innovative legal insights and practical recommendations that your deliberations will produce, insights that will serve constitutional justice and strengthen the rule of law in our countries.
I renew my warm welcome to you all on Algerian soil and wish our honored guests a most pleasant stay, and every success to the proceedings of this conference.
I now formally declare open the proceedings of the Third International Conference of the Constitutional Court.
Long live Algeria."
