74-year old Abdelmadjid Tebboune is now the president of Algeria. He won the controversial December 12 elections with 58% of the vote, according to the preliminary results announced by the national electoral body. Earlier, he served as housing, then information minister and also has a seven-month stint as the Prime Minister two years ago before resigning due to disagreements with businessmen. He was one among the four candidates contested for the election that included a former Prime Minister and two other candidates who served in the previous government.
The elections were a low key affair in Algeria with a polling percentage as low as 40%, which is the lowest ever for the country. The polling has taken place since the ouster of ailing long serving Abdul Aziz Bouteflika, who was forced to resign, earlier this year, after a mass protest movement across the country. He was also a opposed by the powerful military. However, 60% of the voters boycotted the election on the plea that all contestants were too close to former leaderAbdul Aziz Bouteflika. Voters demand that the political establishment be overhauled before polls are held.
