Bouteflika resumes inspection visits

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is expected to pay visit the province of Blida (70 km west of Algiers) this week as part of an inspection tour.

• Bouteflika who announced run for office on Thursday will inspect the achievement of developmental projects which come within the presidential programme.
• Observers believe that those “surprise visits” reflect the president’s plan to deal with achievements in field away from submitted reports and “mediation.”
• Bouteflika had said he “did not trust” those reports and ministers’ statements in official meetings were not sufficient.
• At the beginning of his second term, he blamed some members of the cabinet for misleading him and ordered them to correct their figures.
• He had also opened fire on some ministers, accusing them of being “lazy.”
• On the other hand, Bouteflika moved to a new step as he started a series of ‘punishment sessions’ to assess the ministers’ performance in various sectors.
• He had given instructions to the cabinet to speed up their job and solve people’s problems.
• Bouteflika’s visit to Blida is expected to be accompanied by tightened security measures especially with the current circumstances regarding the April presidential elections.
• Earlier on Saturday, Algerian interior minister Yazid Zerhouni announced a set of security measures to ensure the smooth running of elections.
• He urged remaining terrorists to surrender and benefit from the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, describing it as “the only choice for those misled.”