Algeria swears in new president rejected by protesters
After eight months without a leader, Algeria swore
in its new president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, on Thursday, a week after an
election that was rejected by a mass protest movement as a charade designed to
keep the old ruling elite in power.
The governing elite hopes Abdelkader Tebboune’s
inauguration allows their gas-rich country to turn the page on 10 months of
protests that have thrown their legitimacy into doubt and stalled the economy.
Tebboune, a 74-year-old former prime minister
considered close to Algeria’s powerful army chief, was elected last week with
58 percent of the vote in an election boycotted by members of the country’s
peaceful protest movement.
He has promised to reach out to the protesters and
to fight corruption, a major problem in Africa’s biggest country. Tebboune
inherits a large youth population disillusioned with unemployment and
out-of-touch rulers, and myriad economic challenges.
The protesters helped push out Tebboune’s
predecessor, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in April after 20 years in power, and now
they want a whole new power structure. They rejected the election because it
was organized by Algeria's secretive political elite.
Algeria remains a key ally of Western powers
fighting terrorism in the region, and foreign dignitaries are expected to
attend Thursday’s inauguration in the presidential palace of the capital,
Algiers.
