ALGERIA
The Young Gun
Algeria’s ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) party has elected a 50-year-old businessman as its new leader a month after long-running protests forced former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign rather than seek a fifth term in office.
Considering that the resignation of the ailing, octogenarian leader had not silenced protesters’ demand for a complete overhaul of the political system and a harsh crackdown on corruption, the election of Mohamed Djemai could help convince voters the party is sincere about a true changing of the guard in the lead-up to presidential elections slated for July 4.
Meanwhile, the army chief of staff who helped push out Bouteflika said Tuesday that the judiciary had been freed up to vigorously pursue corruption cases against members of the former political elite like the finance minister, ex-prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia and several rich businessmen, Al Jazeera reported.
Fine sentiments aside, Amel Boubekeur, a research fellow at the Paris-based School for Advanced Studies, told the news channel that the army and secret service have long used anti-corruption drives to curb politicians’ power – without much impact on actual graft.
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