Tebboune seeks support for his mandate from politicians from the Bouteflika era

1. Demonstrations over the social and economic situation 
2. Appearances to defend the image of the regime
3. Relationship between Tebboune and Bouteflika  

The Algerian president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has turned to politicians from the regime of his late predecessor, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to defend the image of his government in the face of criticism of its political decisions at home and abroad.

Abdelaziz Belkhadem and Amar Tou have been the members of the former Algerian government to make presentations in different media and side events.

This has surprised experts, who question the credibility of these appearances, bearing in mind that the current government has labelled the people who worked with Bouteflika as ‘the gang’.

Demonstrations over the social and economic situation 

The Tebboune government's decision has caught the attention of Algerian citizens, as the authorities are now preoccupied with fighting external battles, while Algeria is experiencing a difficult social and economic situation that has sparked demonstrations in various regions and sectors of Algeria.

Likewise, citizens believe that the government only uses external battles to avoid addressing the country's internal crises, and they fear that the authorities will drag them into battles against Arab or European countries with the excuse that Algeria could be the victim of an external threat.

In relation to the above, the Algerian news agency accused foreign parties of launching a campaign against the country and stated: ‘Reliable reports reveal the existence of a significant number of dark rooms specialising in waging a dirty and multifaceted media war against Algeria and its institutions using deep fake technologies’. 

This agency, financed by the state budget and responsible for both carrying out a public media mission and communicating the official state discourse, has become a tool used by the authorities, which has caused it to lose its credibility. 

Appearances to defend the image of the regime

The appearance that attracted the most attention was that of the former prime minister and former secretary general of the National Liberation Front Party, Abdelaziz Belkhadem. A character who continues to arouse the interest of those who are aware of internal political affairs, as well as being a political and military official who falls outside the patterns of Tebboune's circle.

There is already speculation about this, as it is believed that his action of returning and defending the image of the current government could be rewarded with the Presidency of the National Assembly.

The current president, Saleh Goudjil, will leave office during the mid-term elections scheduled for March, following the ruling of the Constitutional Court preventing him from renewing his mandate.

Likewise, Amar Tou affirmed: ‘There are political leaders who have difficult responsibilities in critical circumstances to serve their people and their countries, as is the case of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who made the decision to reduce the import bill to restore the country's financial balance and avoid the scenario of turning to the International Monetary Fund, with its unfair conditions and policies’. 

This statement earned him criticism from the population and some political elites. In addition to the fact that his message seems to be a request for integration into the political system thanks to his praise for the current president's management. 

Relationship between Tebboune and Bouteflika  

The authorities continue to plan trials against other actors to demonstrate that they have not abandoned their fight against corruption, as they have done with the trial of Abdelkader Khomri, who was indicted in 2022 for possible embezzlement during his tenure at the National Publishing and Advertising Agency.

We should remember that the relationship between the two politicians has been marked by tension due to Tebboune's rise to the presidency in the context of the Hirak protest movement, which demanded profound political transformations and which led to Bouteflika's resignation.

Now in the presidency, Tebboune has sought to distance himself from the Bouteflika era and has promised constitutional and electoral reforms, although his past in the previous government generates scepticism among Algerians.

His term of office has also been surrounded by criticism and he has even been accused of repression against activists and journalists. In relation to this, Algeria in 2024, according to data from Reporters Without Borders, ranked 139th out of 180 countries in terms of press freedom.