Algerian president names a new prime minister ahead of elections next year

abcnews.go.com:

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has dismissed the prime minister and replaced him with the head of his cabinet ahead of national elections next year and at a time when economic anxieties are running high

ALGIERS, Algeria — Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Saturday dismissed the country's prime minister and replaced him with the head of his cabinet as the country struggles with inflation and next year's national elections approach.

The state news agency said in a statement Saturday that, after more than two years in office, Aimene Benabderahmne would be replaced with 73-year-old lawyer Mohamed Labaoui, a Tebboune ally who has headed the president's cabinet since March.

Benabderahmne's sacking comes three years into Tebboune's tenure and is the latest upheaval to shape North African politics. In August, Tunisia's president dismissed his prime minister, while the head of Algeria's powerful state-run oil company and eight of his vice presidents were dismissed several weeks ago.

For Tebboune, the changing of the guard takes place at a time of economic anxiety and ahead of next year's presidential elections. In December 2024, Tebboune, 78, will ask voters to give him an another term leading Africa's largest nation by geography — a country with a population of 44 million that spans nearly one million square miles (2.4 million square kilometers) including vast swaths of the Sahara desert rich with oil and gas.

Throughout Tebboune's first term, Algeria has remained heavily reliant on oil and gas to underwrite its budget, while the price of basic goods such as food and medicine has spiked in line with regional and worldwide inflation.

Algeria faced similar inflation challenges to many countries after the peak of