Local authorities, State’s foundation stone
President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, affirmed Tuesday, in Algiers, that the local authorities are the State’s foundation stone.
In a speech at the opening of the Government-Governors meeting at the Palace of Nations under the theme "Local Authorities: Driving Force of National Development," the President said that local authorities are "the link between the State and citizens" and "the foundation stone of the State." He emphasized that "decades after independence, it's time to revise municipal and provincial codes to implement the people's will at the local level."
"There is a thorough revision of the code regarding powers, allocated resources, and classification of municipalities" aimed at "establishing financial and economic balance between wealthy and less privileged municipalities," he explained, adding that the "management of certain infrastructure will be transferred to the State instead of municipalities to avoid burdening them financially."
There is no problem with municipalities delegating to some local companies certain public services like hygiene, while finding legal mechanisms to hold them accountable for performance," affirmed the President of the Republic.
"In the new version of the code, we have proposed giving the head of the People’s Provincial Assembly (APW) the status of authorizing officer, so that the local elected official becomes a responsible person with full authority," he added.
He also pointed out that "more than 6.5 million Algerians have been affected by reforms in grey areas," emphasizing that "certain officials whom we dismissed believed that developing grey areas was not within their jurisdiction."
"You must know that we are at the service of the people, from the President to the simplest employee," insisted the President of the Republic.
"We will protect this country whose people have the blood of the Martyrs in their veins. Those who think they can destabilize Algeria with mere social media campaigns are gravely mistaken," he warned.
President Tebboune also insisted on the necessity to "complete the work on unfinished building facades" and to "find legal formulas to finance the completion of citizens' constructions," advocating to "find formulas for granting land to craftsmen in areas dedicated for creating small professional activities."
The President of the Republic also called on all local officials to "respect the administrative system for receiving citizens, especially young people, to listen to their concerns."
He went on to reassure governors that "they have our full protection and we understand that administrative mistakes can happen, as long as there's no corruption involved." "We're well aware that remnants of Issaba that are using intermediaries to intimidate governors and local officials, trying to prevent them from doing their jobs," he added.
He emphasized that the fight against bureaucracy would be aided by "the nationwide digital transformation that's currently being rolled out."
On the topic of water resources, he announced that "five desalination plants will be operational before Ramadan," and ordered the governors to "implement wastewater management systems across all provinces" and to "make this initiative a top priority."