CHAPTER TWO: HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND CURRENT CHALLENGES with a view to consolidating peace and social cohesion, which are guarantees of prosperity and development. 100. At the political level, the CRM has noted the tangible progress made in entrenching governance. The legitimate satisfaction that Algeria is drawing from this is an additional reason for all stakeholders (public authorities, civil society and private sector) to pursue and intensify efforts to achieve further results and complete the ongoing process of state reform, modernisation of the economy and transformation of society. Best Practice 1: Personal commitment of the President of the Republic to the self-assessment exercise The review process in Algeria took place under excellent working conditions, which were evident both in the quality of the commitment of all stakeholders to the success of the exercise, as well as in the quality of the material and logistical conditions made available to the CRM on the ground. The results obtained by the CRM were greatly facilitated by the personal involvement of His Excellency Mr Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the Republic, who is one of the pioneers and architects of NEPAD. He spared no effort in defending the contribution by the APRM and therefore in building the foundations of good practices with regard to governance in Africa. Indeed, throughout the assessment process, the President of the Republic gave his unwavering support to the APRM. Examples include, among other things, the following: The three-hour audience given during the CSM in July 2005 provided an opportunity for the delegation to benefit from the precious advice of His Excellency the President, to ensure the success of the mechanism both in Algeria and in other APR member states. The second, five-hour audience granted to the CRM on 12 November 2006 once again confirmed the personal commitment of the head of state to promoting good governance in Algeria and Africa. During this interview, the President, while reiterating his personal commitment and that of Algerian authorities to ensuring that the CRM would be conducted in total transparency, assured the Leader that Algeria would be like a ―glass bowl‖. There was nothing to hide and there would be no taboo topics. He took the opportunity to give his own analysis without taking a soft stance on his country, thus setting the tone for the CRM. He encouraged the team to demonstrate professionalism and objectivity in the exercise of their duties, and requested them to assist him and Algeria by being brutally honest. The personal and firm commitment from such a high authority (an eight-hour interview in total) is unusual on the continent and is worthy of being held up as an example. The Panel can confirm that this commitment gave the Algerian review exercise an exemplary character, as it set an example of enthusiastic participation to all public institutions and stakeholders (at the central and wilaya level), who stayed in the game throughout the review. 101. Two key issues in the construction of Algeria‟s future need to be addressed with great tact. The first concerns the underlying confrontation between 53