Algerian PM employs close friend

According to a presidential statement last night, the Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, had ended the mission of its First Minister, Ahmed Ouyahia and replaced him with the Minister of Water Resources, Abdelmalek Sellal. The statement pointed out that “Ahmed Ouyahia had resigned from the government.\" Arabstoday sources also knew that the president had asked the new First Minister to follow up consultation with the acting parties and raise it to the presidency in the coming hours. The same sources found that Sellal had followed several meetings and consultations with different acting parties in the political life, concentrating on some new faces from technocratic parties. Some specialists deemed that the appointment of Abdelmalek Sellal was expected as he was the director of the last election presidential campaign as well as a close friend.The new cabinet is waiting upon its challenges, whilst also supervising the upcoming public elections which will be held on 29 November 2012.