President appoints academic Abdelaziz Djerad as Prime Minister

The Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune appointed Abdelaziz Djerad as Prime Minister on Saturday, public television said, citing a presidential statement. An academic with a doctorate in political science, Abdelaziz Djerad was “charged with forming a new government,” the source said.

He succeeds Sabri Boukadoum, Minister of Foreign Affairs who had been appointed interim Prime Minister after the resignation of Noureddine Bedoui on December 19, the day of the enthronement of Abdelmadjid Tebboune as new head of state. Public television then showed images of Abdelaziz Djerad, 65, received by President Tebboune.

High office

“We must work with all the national skills and the executives of the country, the citizens, in order to get out of this difficult stage, and face economic and social challenges”, then declared Abdelaziz Djerad.

Graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences of Algiers and Doctor of State from the University of Paris X-Nanterre, according to his biography, the new Prime Minister has already held high office: he was Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic (1993-95), or secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2001 to 2003, during the first term of Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He was also director of the National School of Administration (ENA) in Algiers, from 1989 to 1992.

Hirak

His appointment comes two weeks after the election of Abdelmadjid Tebboune as president, after a ballot largely shunned by Algerians (60%) and decried by the powerful protest movement (“Hirak”) which has been shaking the country since February 22.

Despite having obtained the resignation of President Bouteflika, in power for two decades, in April, the “Hirak” continued to mobilize over the months, demanding the departure of the entire “system” ruling Algeria. Tens of thousands of people again took part in the weekly demonstration on the streets of Algiers on Friday, albeit less crowded than in previous weeks.

–