The power struggle that has dominated Algerian politics throughout President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s period in office – between Bouteflika and General Mohamed Mediène’s state intelligence service, the DRS – is now a thing of the past. This week’s Algeria Politics & Security analyses the implications of Algeria’s new political structure.

The restructuring of the DRS (Département du Renseignement et de la Sécurité) – which began in September 2013 and culminated in the recent dismissal of three security generals – has resulted in a major consolidation of power for the presidency. This power structure is made up of three key elements: the presidency, the army under General Gaïd Salah, and the business community.

Over the last two years the various units that make up the DRS have gradually changed hands. The DRS has traditionally been made up of seven units, including the well-known Directorate for Internal Security (DSI), which deals with domestic security and counter-terrorism. All of these units are now under the control of Gaïd Salah and others under the Bouteflika regime.

Rather than a weakening of the power of the DRS (as many commentators have interpreted this political change to be), this is simply a transfer of power. The DRS over which Mediène remains nominally in charge of is now little more than a shell.

In a show of increased strength, the army has transferred as many as 10,000 troops into the Saharan border regions. Although the army insists that this deployment is due to terrorist threats, these are also regions of potential unrest.

This restructuring of the DRS, which is now virtually complete, has profound and immediate implications for Algeria. The energies of the DRS units will now be directed towards their real function: the security of the state, which in Algeria is a euphemism for the security of the regime.

The army, in alliance with the Bouteflika presidency, is no longer merely the protector of Algeria, but now also the mukhabarat, or police state.