In Algeria President Bouteflika has appointed Ahmed Ouyahia as the new prime minister, replacing Abdelaziz Belkhadem who had been in office since May 2006.

It is the third time that M. Ouyahia has been prime minister. The first time was from 31 Dec 1995 – 15 Dec 1998 under President Zéroual. In 1998 he resigned ahead of the annual report to parliament. There were tensions between the government and the military over how best to deal with the Islamists. The second time was under President Bouteflika from 5 May 2003 – 24 May 2006. In 2006 he resigned largely because he opposed the president’s plans for constitutional reform.

President Bouteflika has expressed a desire to see the introduction of a pure presidential system. Perhaps, therefore, M. Ouyahia’s appointment is a sign that President Bouteflika has abandoned his plans for reform and that Algeria will remain semi-presidential. There were some rumours last year that President Bouteflika was unwell and that the reforms would be shelved. However, to date, the president has not disavowed them. Unless Prime Minister Ouyahia has come around to the president’s way of thinking, it is possible that his appointment is a sign that behind the scenes the reforms have been quietly dropped.