Bouteflika Reappoints Abdelmalek Sellal as Prime Minister

Abdelmalek Sellal, who stepped down as Algeria's prime minister in March to run Abdelaziz Bouteflika's presidential campaign, returned to the post on Monday, an official announcement said.

Earlier in the day, Bouteflika was sworn in as Algeria's president for a fourth term, a year after suffering a mini-stroke that was expected to end his 15-year grip on power.

Official results showed he won 81.5 percent of the votes in the election marred by low turnout and claims of fraud by his opponents, including main rival Ali Benflis, who received just 12.18 percent.

The opposition boycotted Monday's swearing-in ceremony, including five parties that had called on their supporters to stay away from the election.

Algeria has witnessed more self-immolations than Tunisia since 2011 and many people have expressed astonishment that a state with foreign exchange reserves of $182 billion has not done more to improve their lives.

Social discontent and deadly riots rattled Algeria in January 2011, when Arab Spring revolts were spreading across the region, but the regime snuffed out the protests with a sprinkling of political reforms and pay rises.