Mauritania’s president has named a new prime minister following the resignation of the former premier of the Islamic nation in northwest Africa resigned.

President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi said in a statement Tuesday he had named 50-year-old economist Yahya Ould Ahmed Waqef to the post, succeeding Zeine Ould Zeidane. Zeidane gave no reason for the move.

Zeidane had held the premiership since shortly after a military junta handed power to a civilian government through elections in March 2007. Zeidane came in third against Abdallahi in the first round of a presidential vote.