In a recent address to party officials and activists in Mila, Abdelkrim Ben Mbarek, Secretary-General of Algeria’s historic National Liberation Front (FLN) party, articulated a confident vision of national progress. He asserted that “New Algeria is steadily advancing on the path of reform and construction.” This statement, delivered at the “Mbarek El Mili” Cultural Center, serves as both a political assessment and a rallying cry, framing the current era under President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as one of foundational state-building.
Ben Mbarek positioned President Tebboune’s leadership as the driving force behind a comprehensive national project. He elaborated that this project aims to establish “a strong state that is just in its laws, productive in its economy, steadfast in its decisions, and protective of its citizens.” This quartet of goals—legal justice, economic productivity, decisive sovereignty, and social protection—outlines the pillars of what is termed the “New Algeria.” In practice, this has translated into policy shifts such as constitutional revisions aimed at enhancing governance, state-led industrial and agricultural initiatives to reduce import dependency, and a foreign policy stance asserting greater independence.
The FLN leader pointed to tangible achievements as evidence of this political will. He specifically cited:
- Strengthened Purchasing Power: This likely references state subsidies on basic goods, salary increases for public sector employees, and direct cash transfers implemented to offset inflation and global economic pressures.
- Enhanced Social Justice: This encompasses expanded social housing programs, efforts to reform the education and healthcare systems, and policies targeting regional development disparities.
- Support for Vulnerable Groups: This includes pension increases, support for low-income families, and programs for youth employment.
- Launch of Development Projects: Algeria has embarked on major infrastructure projects, including new railways, port expansions, renewable energy farms, and desalination plants to address water scarcity.
Ben Mbarek framed these efforts as a direct response to the people’s aspirations, arguing they demonstrate the state’s capacity to deliver despite “various difficulties” like fluctuating hydrocarbon revenues and regional instability.
However, the speech also carried a note of mobilization and caution. Ben Mbarek called for “vigilance” and the strengthening of “national unity” to “confront the exposed conspiracies of colonial forces.” This rhetoric reflects a persistent narrative in Algerian political discourse that links internal stability to the rejection of perceived foreign interference, often connecting contemporary challenges to the legacy of French colonialism. It serves to consolidate domestic political fronts around the leadership.
Finally, the Secretary-General issued a direct charge to FLN activists, urging them to transition from political rhetoric to grassroots engagement. He emphasized “field work” as the means to “instill confidence in the state,” through raising awareness, rejecting societal division, and actively rallying citizens around the national leadership. This underscores the party’s perceived role as a transmission belt between the state and the populace, crucial for legitimizing and implementing the “New Algeria” project.
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