Algeria’s president Abdelmadjid Tebboune named Abdelaziz Djerad, a political analyst and university professor, as the country’s new prime minister on Saturday, state TV reported.
A former diplomat and presidential advisor, Djerad teaches political science at the University of Algiers.
His appointment comes a week after Tebboune was declared the winner of a controversial presidential election boycotted by many Algerians.
Tebboune succeeded veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was forced from office in April in the face of mass demonstrations.
He and Djerad must now address the grievances of the protesters, who have remained on the streets to prevent what they see as a ploy by the political elite to retain its hold on power.
Protesters see Tebboune, a longtime regime insider, as part of the same corrupt system that has ruled Algeria since independence in 1962 — a system they want dismantled.
Analysts have warned that the country’s grinding political crisis could be exacerbated by its economic situation.
Algeria is heavily dependent on oil exports and its budget has been hard hit by low crude prices, which could force Tebboune to take unpopular decisions.
