HIBAPRESS – Youssef Aqdhah
A controversial statement made by an Algerian journalist on a local Algerian channel sparked a wave of ridicule on social media, after he claimed that "dozens of heads of state and governments queue daily in the waiting room of the presidential palace, desiring to meet President Abdelmadjid Tebboune".
The statement, which was described by platform users as "fictional" and "insulting to the intelligence of the Algerian citizen," once again reflects the level of media discourse through which the Algerian regime seeks to mislead public opinion and present an unrealistic image of the country's influence and international standing. Observers considered that such statements are nothing more than a new attempt to polish the image of the regime, at a time when Algerians are living through suffocating economic crises, a decline in development indicators, and escalating social tension due to unemployment and rising prices. Analysts also pointed out that the Algerian regime employs its official and semi-official media as a tool to distort public awareness and divert attention from its failure to achieve the promised reforms, highlighting that "talking about queues of presidents in front of Tebboune's office is nothing more than a propaganda play that lacks the minimum requirements of credibility." Video clips documenting the journalist's statement turned into a source of ridicule on social media platforms, where activists circulated satirical photos and comments depicting "world leaders in a long queue in front of El Mouradia Palace," in a symbolic scene of the extent of the separation between official media discourse and the true reality of Algeria. It seems that the Algerian regime is continuing its policy of "political fantasy," through directed media that exaggerates in drawing a false image of "the strong Algeria," while the gap between the propaganda discourse and the daily life of the citizen widens.
