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The President's generals

The President may be back but succession rumours are festering

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has spent much of the last three months in the Val-de-Grâce military hospital in Paris, being treated for what was eventually announced to be a gastric ulcer. On 14 January, when he once again presided over a cabinet meeting, it seemed like business as usual. The Algiers rumour mill had been buzzing with reports that the old-guard military décideurs might be poised for a return to 'le pouvoir' as the ruling establishment is known....

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The President's generals

The President may be back but succession rumours are festering

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