French President Emmanuel Macron has hailed his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, saying he would exert all efforts to assist him in the political transition.
In an interview with Jeune Afrique published on Friday, Macron said: “I will do everything possible to help President Tebboune during this transitional phase.”
The French president also described Tebboune as “courageous.”
“We can’t change a country, institutions and structures in a few months,” said Macron.
Tebboune took office last December. That followed months of Hirak protests calling for a full overhaul of Algeria's ruling system.
Asked about the Hirak movement, Macron told his interviewer that there has been a revolutionary movement, which is ongoing, in a different form.
“There’s also willingness for stability, mainly in Algeria’s most rural regions.”
“All efforts should be exerted so that this transition succeeds,” he said.
Tebboune, hospitalized in Germany since late last month after contracting the novel coronavirus, has finished treatment and is undergoing tests, the Algerian presidency said Sunday.
His absence has raised concerns among Algerians and the media over the threat of vacuum.
They have recalled the absence of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who suffered a stroke in early 2013 and stayed in hospital abroad for nearly three months.
