The Algerian Senate (the second chamber of parliament) today elected Saleh Koujil (90 years old) as its president by a majority vote during a public session attended by two-thirds of the members.
Both of the candidates for the same position, Mahfoud Kessari and Mustafa Jaghdaali, withdrew before the voting session, which took place by a show of hands. Koujil has been serving as the acting president of the Senate since April 2019, following President Abdelkader Bensalah's assumption of the presidency after the ousting of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika at the request of the military leadership, just weeks after the widespread popular protests that began on February 22, 2019.
The appointment of the nonagenarian, who is considered by the Algerian constitution to be the second-highest official in the state after the president, has quickly sparked a wave of commentary, with reactions on social media focusing on the age of the official and referencing the authorities' repeated slogan of "handing over the torch to the youth."
