(Photo: CGTN)
ALGIERS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President-elect Abdelmadjid Tebboune was sworn in on Thursday as the eighth president of the North African country since it gained independence from France in 1962, vowing to put what he has promised into practice during his five-year term in office.
After the inauguration, Tebboune accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Nourrredine Bedoui and appointed Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum as interim Prime Minister, while dismissing Interior Minister Salaheddine Dahmoune and replacing him with Housing Minister Kamel Beldjoud.
Tebboune, however, requested the rest of the cabinet to stay in office as part of a caretaker government pending the formation of a new team.
In his national address in the wake of the inauguration, Tebboune announced that the discussions will start in a couple of weeks over drafting a new constitution that would pave the way for the establishment of a new Algeria based on the rule of law.
The new constitution will limit the presidential term to two mandates and curb the prerogatives of the president, he said.
Tebboune also promised to meet the demands for radical changes and the rule of law that were voiced in the past 10-month protest.
"I'm committed to fulfilling the demands of the public protest movement within the limits of the national laws and the nation's values and principles," he said.
"I'm committed to making radical change of the governing system through deepening democracy and the rule of law, reinforcing social justice, and protecting human rights," the new president added.
Tebboune expressed his readiness to establish diversified economy that generates jobs and wealth by encouraging private and public firms to invest in different sectors, helping the youth start new business, and providing support for home-bound women to launch their own small businesses.
He also pledged to curb the mounting imports bill as part of the efforts to boost national products and safeguard foreign reserves.
In addition, Tebboune vowed to reinforce the presence of Algeria in the international arena, putting the settlement of the crisis in neighboring Libya on the top of his agenda.
Notably, he said Algeria will "spare no effort to reform the Arab League, which reflects the union and common destiny of the Arab world."
On the Palestinian issue that is central to the Middle East, he voiced Algeria's continued support for Palestinians in securing their legal rights and establishing an independent country with Jerusalem as its capital.
Tebboune also reaffirmed Algeria's commitment to continued efforts to combat terrorism and transnational organized crime, "in a bid to contribute to world peace and security."
Algeria has been plagued by wide-scale public protest since Feb. 22, which forced former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to renounce campaign for a fifth term before stepping down in April.
