Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune appointed his chief of staff Nadir Larbaoui (74) as prime minister on Saturday November 11th. This career diplomat and former ambassador to the United Nations replaces Aymen Benabderrahmane, “whose functions have been terminated,” says the press release from the President of the Republic.
Aymen Benabderrahmane, very reserved, without real power and without charisma, has been in office since June 2021 and has long been the subject of thinly veiled criticism of the head of state. Abdelmadjid Tebboune blamed him for the country’s difficulties, such as the shortage of certain foodstuffs.
This change in prime minister is therefore no surprise, especially as it comes just over a month after a reorganization of the presidential services.
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Nine advisers have been appointed, whose duties appear to be similar to those of the government. In particular, they are responsible for “following, participating in and reporting to the implementation of the program, orientations and decisions of the President of the Republic”, “ensuring supervision of economic affairs, government activities and political and institutional issues” and ” to monitor”. “to report on their developments” and “to inform the President of the Republic about the political, economic, social and cultural situation of the country and its development and to provide him with the elements necessary for decision-making”.
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The decree on this restructuring could well stipulate that the presidential services “are not intended to replace the relevant institutions and administrations or to interfere in the exercise of their responsibilities”. The move was seen by several observers as the formation of a second government, a sign of a desire to further centralize decision-making nearly a year before the presidential election scheduled for December 2024.
One of the key figures in this system is former judge Boualem Boualem, a friend of the head of state, who was appointed interim chief of staff and acts as an advisor on legal matters, relations with institutions, investigations and authorizations.
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These various changes come as President Abdelmadjid Tebboune appears to be preparing to run for a second term in the 2024 elections. The 77-year-old head of state has still not officially announced his candidacy, but no political figure with whom he can currently compete him, as long as he maintains the army’s support and leads without a real political opponent, since the repression against Hirak began in the Year 2019.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, stressed at the end of his visit to Algeria in September that the government “must combat the climate of fear generated by a series of criminal charges against individuals. “Associations, unions and political parties are subject to overly restrictive laws, including an anti-terrorism law, which conflicts with Algeria’s international human rights obligations.”
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