chargement...
Protests in Algeria have been urging Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to make a «radical change». These demands were met with a proposition submitted by the 82-year-old President, through two letters he published on the 4th and 11th of March. While protesters are still hitting the streets in Algeria, events in the country might be sending messages to political figures that are part of the current regime.
It is thus very difficult, for example, for the former Prime Minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, to think of a comeback on the political scene, especially as he was dismissed a few hours after the Algerian President returned from his medical trip in Switzerland.
The same thing applies to Ali Haddad, an Algerian businessman and co-founder and CEO of ETRHB, who is also known for being close to Said Bouteflika, the President’s brother. The man, who has been a notorious political and economic figure in the country, is now away from the spot light. Haddad is currently being investigated for alleged «embezzlement of funds abroad», according to media reports.
He is not the only one to be discreet these days. His «friend» Abdelmadjid Sidi Said, an Algerian politician and the President of the General Union of Algerian Workers since 1997, is currently in the same boat as Haddad. The controversial figure is targeted by voices who want him to leave office.
Morocco, a potential destination for Algerian politicians
Ahmed Ouyahia, Ali Haddad and Sidi Said formed a trio in the service of the presidential clan, praising his decisions and criticizing his opponents. But faced with the current situation in Algeria, these figures may be falling from grace, unless if they chose to leave the country.
Morocco could be a destination for those who supported Bouteflika for years. The kingdom has never broken with the tradition of welcoming Algerian «brothers». President Chadli Bendjedid had indeed settled down in Tangier after he was dismissed by the Algerian army in December 1991. Similarly, his successor, Mohamed Boudiaf, assassinated June 29, 1992 in Annaba, had long resided in Kenitra.
During these years, Algerian writers like Rachid Mimouni, who died in Tangier in 1995, fled the bullets of Islamists and other unidentified groups to start a new life in Morocco. Journalists have also made the same choice. Hamid Grine was one of them. He collaborated with several newspapers in Casablanca during the same period, before returning to his country and holding the position of Minister of Communication from May 2014 to May 2017.
