Algeria: Tebboune meets leftist leader

Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune held a meeting with the leader of the Worker’s Party, Louisa Hanoune, Arab Weekly reports.

The general secretary of the left-wing Workers Party was received by the President of the Republic on the 11th December, which took place at the Mouradia Palace in Algiers. Prior to this, no meeting in similar fashion had been held since Tebboune’s election at the end of 2019.

During the exchange which spanned three hours, perspectives, visions and opinions surrounding not only national but also international issues were discussed at length.

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Following the meeting, the worker’s party’s Louisa Hanoune spoke about the day at a press conference. “We talked freely, without taboos. The debate was rich, free, global and without constraints. It was an opportunity to present our concerns and our conception of solutions,” she said.

“I pleaded for the release of prisoners of conscience. I noticed that there was listening. But afterwards, it is the President who has the decision-making power. We hope that he will exercise it.”

“We also saw this direction in 2022 with the reduction of sentences or acquittal for certain prisoners”, she further noted the “need to accelerate these measures to remove any alibi from foreign powers.”,

“I outlined the need to strengthen the country’s immunity through social and appeasement measures including the release of prisoners of conscience,” said Louisa Hanoune.

Furthermore, the general secretary touched on the plight of the people of Palestine in the ongoing war.

“I spoke about the need for the Palestinian people to make their voices heard and I asked that our position differ from that of the Arab League”. She further noted that “The President spoke of certain obstacles to transporting aid from Algeria to Palestine,” without going into furtheer detail of the obstacles.

Arab Weekly/TSA Algerie