Cabinet Reshuffle in Algeria: Army Chief Joins Government, Changes in Justice and Industry Portfolios

Algerian Prime Minister Nadir Larbaoui conducted a cabinet reshuffle on Monday that saw Army Chief of Staff General Said Chengriha joining the government as National Defense Delegate, along with new appointments to the Justice and Industry portfolios.

This reshuffle comes after Larbaoui was reappointed by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (79 years old), to whom he had submitted his resignation as a formal procedure following the presidential elections held on September 7, which resulted in Tebboune’s re-election.

President Tebboune “renewed his confidence” in Larbaoui, who has headed the government for about a year, “and instructed him to continue his duties,” according to a presidential statement. The cabinet reshuffle maintained key ministers in their positions while introducing some changes.

Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Attaf, Interior Minister Brahim Merad, and Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab retained their portfolios.

Among the notable changes, in addition to General Chengriha (79 years old) joining the government – with President Tebboune retaining the position of Defense Minister – Lotfi Boudjemaa was appointed as the new Justice Minister, and Sifi Gharib took over the Industry portfolio from Ali Aoun.

The president of the Algerian Football Federation (FAF), Walid Sadi, was appointed as Sports Minister. The Commerce portfolio was split into two: Internal Commerce, headed by Tayeb Zitouni, and External Commerce and Export Promotion, led by Mohamed Boukhari. Fisheries and Agriculture were merged into a single ministry headed by Youcef Chorfa.

Prime Minister Larbaoui (75 years old) has had a long diplomatic career during which he served as Algeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations and as ambassador to several countries. He was appointed as President Tebboune’s chief of staff in March 2023 before being named Prime Minister on November 11, 2023.

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