In a surprising move, Abdelkarim Ben Mebarek, Secretary General of the National Liberation Front Party loyal to the ruling regime in Algeria, replaced most members of the political bureau during the ordinary session of the Central Committee held last Saturday at the Hotel School in Ain Benian, on the outskirts of Algiers.

During this session, the new political bureau was formed, consisting of Secretary General Abdelkrim Ben Mebarek, along with Ahmad Mustafa, Qada Esam, Qamaz Faisal, Abdelrahman Swalami, Ben Jurma Asmaa Khadija, Shihub Massoud, Boucharef Hamid, Saoudi Mohamed, Qadhi Dalikh Farida, Maliki Hamid, Maki Zlikha, and Amari Hussein.

In fact, the members of this new formation are not nationally recognized and are not considered among the pillars of the National Liberation Front Party or its Central Committee, such as former Minister of Higher Education Dr. Taher Hajar or Dr. Noureddine Al-Sadd, the prominent critic and former parliamentarian, among others.

It is notable that Secretary General Abdelkarim Ben Mebarek rose to the leadership of the National Liberation Front Party as the successor to former Secretary General Aboul Fadl Baaji during the eleventh conference held in November 2023. The outcomes of that conference also emphasized the need for radical changes in the party’s structure and leadership at both the foundational and central levels, while preserving unity. However, events since then have shown that the National Liberation Front Party has only undergone minor organizational reforms at the section level, while continuing to demonstrate full loyalty to the ruling authorities, particularly following the directives and program of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Following the formation of the new political bureau, the Secretary General of the National Liberation Front Party did not announce the specific tasks assigned to each member, even though the party’s traditional practice is to define these roles as soon as the bureau is announced. It is also notable that this ordinary session did not produce any program for leading the party in national development or addressing urgent issues such as eradicating unemployment, enacting new and fair legislation in the fields of culture and the arts to promote cultural and artistic advancement, tackling the problem of overcrowded classrooms, and implementing mechanisms to enhance the linguistic and research capabilities that education system workers aspire to achieve. Additionally, the session did not address ongoing crises related to high living costs, housing, and rent, which remain uncapped to this day.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Annahar.