DZWatch has learned that Algeria is poised to significantly alter its administrative landscape with the creation of eleven new provinces. Minister of Interior and Local Government, Said Sayoud, is expected to present a bill amending the existing law on territorial organization to the Council of the Nation’s Legal, Administrative, Human Rights, and Regional Planning Committee in the coming days.
President Tebboune has reportedly instructed the swift completion of administrative procedures, including parliamentary review, following the Council of Ministers’ approval of the proposal. The initiative, presented by the Interior Minister, involves elevating eleven administrative districts located in the High Plateaus and Southern regions to full provincial status.
The bill is expected to be fast-tracked through the parliamentary process, with approval by both houses and publication in the Official Gazette anticipated before the year’s end. Territorial division falls under the constitutionally mandated powers of the Council of the Nation, which holds the authority to examine, debate, and vote on the bill before it is submitted to the People’s National Assembly.
The urgency surrounding this decision may be linked to the upcoming legislative and local elections scheduled for next year. The newly established provinces will gain representation in both parliamentary chambers and will also elect their own Provincial People’s Assembly.
The decision encompasses the promotion of the following districts to provincial status: Aflou, Barika, Ksar Chellala, Messaad, Ain Oussera, Boussaada, El Bayadh Sidi Cheikh, El Kantara, Bir El Ater, Ksar El Boukhari, and El Aricha.
Upon parliamentary approval, Algeria will have a total of 69 provinces. The country has undergone several territorial reorganizations in the past, notably in 1965, 1974, and 1984. President Tebboune’s first term also saw the elevation of ten delegate provinces in the south, including Bordj Badji Mokhtar, In Salah, and Djanet, to full provincial status.
