Algeria’s Bouteflika appoints new prime minister

By Abdel Raziq bin Abdullah

ALGIERS (AA) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Wednesday appointed Abdul-Majeed Tabboun as the country’s new prime minister, replacing Abdelmalek Sellal.

The announcement was made in a statement issued by the Algerian presidency and broadcast by state media.

“Following the Constitutional Council’s announcement of the final results of recent legislative polls [held on May 4]… Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal submitted his resignation today to President Bouteflika,” the statement read.

“The president congratulated Sellal and members of his government for their good performance during their time in office,” it added.

Tabboun, 71, who replaces Sellal, is a member of Bouteflika’s ruling National Liberation Front (FLN). Along with serving as housing minister since 2012, he was also given the commerce portfolio -- on a temporary basis -- following the death earlier this year of former Commerce Minister Bakhti Belaib.

A graduate of Algeria’s National School of Administration, which has produced many of the country’s politicians since Algeria achieved independence in 1962, Tabboun held various ministerial posts between 1990 and 2002.

In May 4 polls, the FLN clinched 164 out of 462 seats in parliament, while the National Democratic Rally -- an FLN coalition partner -- came in second with 97 seats.

Although the two parties between them managed to win an outright majority of assembly seats -- giving them the right to draw up a government -- Bouteflika has nevertheless left the door open to the possibility of including other parties.

Algeria’s largest Islamic party Movement of Society for Peace came third with 33 seats.