US embassy cable - 05ALGIERS2086

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 002086 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, AG 
SUBJECT: BELKHADEM TO BECOME PRIME MINISTER? 
 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Marc J. Sievers, 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
RUMORS SUGGEST THAT BELKHADEM TO REPLACE 
OUYAHIA; CABINET SHOULD REMAIN LARGELY INTACT 
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1.  (C) According to press reports in recent days, FLN Party 
Leader and former Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem, who 
is also Minister of State and Bouteflika's Personal 
Representative, will be named Prime Minister, replacing Ahmed 
Ouyahia.  These rumors have circulated for about a month but 
are becoming more persistent since last week.  Embassy 
sources predicted that any announcement would be made just 
before or immediately after the end of Ramadan.  Belkhadem 
has stated publicly that it would be entirely natural that 
the FLN, the largest party in the Presidential Alliance and 
majority party in the National Assembly, should have its 
leader (Belkhadem) as Prime Minister.  According to Embassy 
contacts, the current cabinet would remain largely intact 
should Belkhadem be named Prime Minister. 
 
OUYAHIA WOULD LEAD PRESIDENTIAL ALLIANCE 
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2.  (C) Separately, the political parties aligned with the 
President announced October 11 that the moderate Islamist 
Movement for a Society of Peace (MSP) would immediately cede 
the leadership of the Presidential Alliance, in a normal 
rotation, to Ouyahia's National Democratic Rally (RND).  The 
strains between Ouyahia and Bouteflika have risen over the 
past several weeks.  Belkhadem, as an eloquent speaker of 
formal Arabic and leader of the FLN's conservative, Islamic 
wing, was a big asset to Bouteflika in the campaign on 
National Reconciliation, whereas Ouyahia's Berber origins and 
reputation as a fierce opponent of political Islam were seen 
as less helpful to the campaign.  Perhaps the final straw 
came when Bouteflika pulled the rug out from under Ouyahia 
days before the September 29 vote by coming out against 
declaring Tamazight (Berber) a national language.  This 
occurred after Ouyahia had suggested for months that a 
favorable declaration on Tamazight's status was on the 
horizon.  Hostility toward Bouteflika's proposal and 
boycotting of the referendum vote were also greatest in areas 
where the concentration of Berbers was highest. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
3.  (C) Elevating Belkhadem to Prime Minister would overcome 
the setback he suffered in 2000, when President Bouteflika 
passed him over as Prime Minister in favor of Ali Benflis. 
The change would confirm Bouteflika's increasing room for 
maneuver following voters' approval September 29 of his 
proposal for National Reconciliation.  It also would increase 
the likelihood that a referendum would be held in 2006 on 
amending the constitution, since Belkhadem has forcefully 
advocated adoption of a provision that would allow Bouteflika 
to run for a third term. 
 
SIEVERS