Tebboune calls for "discipline and confidentiality" over state affairs

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has urged ministers and officials to be cautious about state affairs. According to a statement by the Algerian news agency APS, Tebboune urged them to "take special care to respect what is discussed in the Council of Ministers and government meetings", as "the credibility of the state is at stake". The Algerian president therefore calls for "discipline and confidentiality".

With this new internal order, the Algerian government is trying to put an end to leaks and the disclosure of state secrets, something that, as Al-Arab points out, has been happening since the last years of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika's mandate.

The Algerian agency's note stresses that the management of the El Mouradia Palace "is no longer informal and disorderly, as it was for more than two decades". "The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, plays a fundamental role in the management of state affairs," it adds. 

APS also stresses that Tebboune "has modernised and professionalised" the functioning of the structures of the Algerian presidency. However, in recent years there has been a certain internal "chaos and fragility", according to Al-Arab. Analysts tell the Arabic daily that the disclosure of state secrets is the result of "conflicts and interactions between the branches of power and institutions".

APS says that "the days of false rumours are over" and that no media outlet "ventures to speculate". "Nothing is leaked before the publication of the presidency's press release," it adds. On different occasions, rumours have come to cloud state affairs, as well as lowering the credibility of institutions in the eyes of the public. 

One of the most recent leaks was the appointment of Abdulaziz Nuwait Choueiter as director of army security in the intelligence service. The news was circulated on several websites and blogs days before the official announcement, "which confirms the disarray of information within state institutions", notes the Arabic daily.

It is precisely matters related to Algerian intelligence that have suffered the most recent leaks. The continuous changes in the institution reveal its instability, as well as internal power struggles. The modifications dictated by the government leadership also extend to the cabinet itself, as Tebboune recently announced a new restructuring of the executive with changes in such important ministries as the Interior and Health.

With this new order, Algiers is seeking to put an end to all attempts at leaks with the aim of reinforcing the government's stability and achieving credibility in the eyes of public opinion in the midst of a deep social and economic crisis.