Tebboune appoints Aymen Ben Abdel Rahamane as Algeria's new prime minister
Aymen Ben Abdel Rahamane, who until now was Algeria's finance minister, has been elected by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as the country's new prime minister, following the resignation of Abdelaziz Djerad. This resignation came just two weeks after a parliamentary election marked by a low turnout, with abstention reaching an unprecedented 75 percent in the history of Algeria's democracy. President Tebboune has already asked the new prime minister to begin talks with the other political parties with the aim of forming the new government as soon as possible.
"In accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, in particular articles 91 and paragraphs 5 and 7, the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has appointed Aymen Ben Abdel Rahamane as Prime Minister," read the press release distributed by the Presidency. Rahamane comes after serving as finance minister and governor of the Bank of Algeria for the years 2019 and 2020.
His main task now is to form a new executive, something the president began to do just a few days ago. Last Sunday, Abdelmadjid Tebboune began consultations with the leaders of the parties and independent representatives who won during the recent parliamentary elections, in order to form the new government, which is expected to see the light of day in the coming days. In addition, it is expected that most of the ministerial portfolios will go to the National Liberation Front, having been the party that won the largest number of seats in the last elections.
The resignation of the former prime minister came the day after the Constitutional Council officially announced the final election results. The turnout fell to 23%, the worst in its history, and confirmed the victory of the National Liberation Front with 105 seats, a figure that falls far short of the 204 seats needed for an absolute majority in a parliament of 407, and which obliges the Front to reach agreements with the rest of the parties that have obtained representation.
Algeria, an OPEC member, has been under financial pressure due to a significant decline in oil and gas revenues, the country's main source of oil and gas, which has led to a growing trade deficit. The crisis has been further aggravated after the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the government to delay several planned investment projects in various sectors. The situation in the country has not improved and protests, which have been ongoing since 2019, have intensified, largely also due to the elections and the government's management since before the arrival of the pandemic.
The new prime minister will have to meet with the other political parties to form a government as soon as possible and begin the reconstruction of a country whose society is currently mired in despondency - as reflected in the data from the last elections - and desperate to recover the economic levels that have hit the entire population very hard. His arrival seems to have put Algeria's economic situation back on track, at least minimally, and it is hoped that he will be able to greatly improve the situation of the citizens, who continue to complain about a political management that has been plunging the country into a crisis from which it will not be easy to emerge.
