Algeria swears in new PM

Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been appointed Algeria’s new Prime Minister replacing Abdelmalek Sellal, it was announced yesterday.

A presidency statement broadcasted via the official agency read:

Following the proclamation by the Constitutional Council of the final results of the legislative elections and the installation of the eighth legislature of the National People’s Congress, Mr. Abdelmalek Sellal, prime minister, today presented to His Excellency, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the Republic, his resignation and that of the government.

“In accordance with article 91, paragraph 5 of the Constitution, the President of the Republic, after consultation with the parliamentary majority, [has] appointed Abdelmadjid Tebboune as prime minister. The head of state has also instructed the members of the resigning government to attend to the current affairs of their respective sectors, pending the appointment of the government,” the statement continued.

Read: Head of Algeria’s Islamic party threatens to resign

The new government will be unveiled tomorrow with Tebboune taking up the new post today. By choosing Tebboune, Bouteflika not only places a loyal at the head of the government but also a man without presidential ambition. It was widely believed that Sellal was planning to run in the 2019 presidential elections.

It is still unclear whether Bouteflika will be a candidate for his own succession. Several personalities, including Secretary-General of the National Liberation Front (FLN), Djamel Ould Abbes, have publicly mentioned the hypothesis of a fifth term for 80-year-old Bouteflika.