Tebboune replaces key Bouteflika ally Sellal as Algeria's new PM

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has appointed Abdelmadjid Tebboune as new prime minister to replace his confidant Abdelmalek Sellal

The decision comes following parliamentary elections.

Bouteflika’s National Liberation Front (FLN) and its ruling coalition won majority in the May 4 polls.

The win was however overshadowed by low turnout in what many saw as a protest over the declining levels of the economy.

Tebboune, 71, was housing minister in the outgoing government, and will replace Sellal.

Bouteflika “congratulated Sellal and members of the outgoing government for the work they have accomplished”, a statement from the office of the president said.

Algeria’s 2011 Arab Spring saw the country overspend in a bid to restore sanity across board.

However a 2014 collapse in economic structure forced the government to raise taxes, a move that was largely unpopular.