Algeria is not as repressive as Tunisia was.
“It is not an autocracy, it is an oligarchy”: in addition to the president, there are multiple power centers (military, intelligence services, elite bureaucrats). Unlike in Tunisia there is no one target of public ire, and no public sense that protests would help to dislodge those at fault.
Ahram Online: Aren't you worried that the Tunisian scenario will spread to Algeria?
Moustafa BenBada, Minister of Trade: The situation in Algeria is not similar to Tunisia. What happened in Tunisia is the consequence of things which accumulated for years. In Algeria, freedom of expression is guaranteed; the press can criticize officials even more severely than in some European countries. The access to internet and to the information sources is also guaranteed. It was not the case in Tunisia.