Tebboune left for Germany Oct. 28.
“I sincerely expected him to give us a surprise by returning home today for the first anniversary of his election. It’s the ideal timing,” Hassiba Aoudia, a retired French teacher said Friday evening. She had been a member of Tebboune’s group of supporters when he was a candidate.
Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad has been in charge during Tebboune’s absence, conspicuous as the country struggles with an economy made worse by the coronavirus and a host of other issues.
Constitutional law professor Fatiha Benabou said there is no date limiting the time Tebboune can be away.
“Authorities have a large margin of maneuver,” she said. “But on a political level, the absence of the president, who embodies the essential powers, is obviously a problem.”
