ALGIERS — Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's cabinet director and loyal backer Ahmed Ouyahia was elected as the new leader of one of the two ruling parties on Wednesday, confirming his status of potential presidential successor. Speculation over Bouteflika's health since he suffered a stroke two years ago, and whether he will be able to end his fourth term in 2019, is fueling debate over who might replace the independence veteran who has been in office since 1999. Political sources and analysts said that with more than 20 years inside Algeria's political establishment, including several terms as prime minister, Ouyahia is on the short list of potential successors to Bouteflika. Ouyahia's RND party is part of a ruling coalition with the Front de Liberation Nationale or FLN, the nationalist movement that has dominated Algerian politics since it was born out of the 1962 independence from France. “Ouyahia is a statesman; he could become Algeria's next president,” political analyst Farid Ferrahi said. “But the list is open for other candidates.” — Reuters
