The political side of Prime Minister Abdelmajid Tebboune’s plan really only became clear after the dramatic events of 15–16 July, three weeks after his presentation to parliament. Tebboune made clear what he meant by ‘separating politics and money’ by publicly humiliating the Forum des Chefs d’Entreprises’ (FCE) chairman Ali Haddad and driving his political downfall the next day.

The dramatic theatre of Haddad’s demise took place at the graduation ceremony of the Ecole Supérieure de la Sécurité Sociale (ESSS) in Ben Aknoun (Algiers) on 15 July. The event was organised by the Labour Ministry, with Tebboune as the main guest of honour. Before the ceremony started and before his arrival, Tebboune’s protocol services sent a message to the ministry saying that Haddad was not to be present in the hall when Tebboune arrived. Haddad was politely but firmly ushered from the event, in full public view, before Tebboune arrived and the ceremony got under way.

Abdelmadjid Sidi Saïd — the secretary general of the pro-government Union Générale des Travailleurs Algériens (UGTA) trade union federation — was then also invited to leave the hall.

To ensure that Haddad understood the full seriousness of the message — and that his removal from the ceremony was not a protocol error — he received a formal notice the following day from the minister of public works and transport. It warned that Groupe ETRHB Haddad’s contract for the coastal bypass between Marsa Ben Mhidi and Ghazaouet — worth AD952 million (US$8.7 million), of which it has already received an advance payment of AD451 million (US$4.2 million) — would be cancelled, with possible legal proceedings, if not effected within 60 days.

In their communiqué to Tebboune, they made it clear that they did not recognise his authority. They wrote: ‘We express our unwavering attachment and total fidelity to the President of the Republic alone.’

Tebboune’s moves against Haddad and his investigations into contracts issued during the Sellal era caused a degree of alarm among Haddad’s FCE associates, as well as foreign investors who had been … [article continues] …

This is an except from an article in our monthly Algeria Focus publication.