Until 4 September, the time the polls will be held, three candidates are competing: the incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who is running for a second term as an independent; Youssef Aouchiche from the Socialist Forces Front (FFS); and Abdelaali Hassani Cherif from the Islamist-oriented Movement of Society for Peace.
The elections were originally scheduled for 19 December but were brought forward to 7 September because of “the current international situation and the dangers looming over Algeria,” as President Tebboune stated.
The Algerian Constitutional Court had approved the three candidates’ applications on 31 July after deciding they met the eligibility criteria. To run for president, a potential candidate must collect at least 600 nominations from elected members of local councils or parliament in 29 out of Algeria’s 58 provinces, or no fewer than 50,000 nominations from registered voters, with at least 1,200 in each province.
The court disqualified 13 applicants for failing to meet those legal requirements. Among them were Saida Neghza, head of the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises, and Belkacem Sahli, head of the National Republican Alliance Party. The former minister and leader of the Workers’ Party (PT) Louisa Hanoune withdrew her application herself because she was unable to gather the necessary number of nominations, even though she had previously participated in every election held since becoming the first woman to run for president in Algeria in 2004.
According to the National Independent Authority for Elections (ANIE), 31 people withdrew their candidacy papers for this year’s election. Of the 16 that remained, only three were approved. With only three candidates running, this year’s presidential elections will go on record as having the lowest number of contenders for Al- Mouradia Presidential Palace since 1995. In the last presidential election in 2019, which Tebboune won, five candidates ran.
The Algerian electoral season opened against a turbulent regional and global backdrop. Tensions between Algeria and France recently soared after Paris suddenly decided to recognise Morocco’s claim to the Western Sahara. The instability in the Sahel since the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime and the proliferation of arms and terrorist activity in Libya, Niger and Mali to the east and south of Algeria pose severe security challenges. Economically, the government still faces both high inflation and high unemployment rates, which means that standards of living will be foremost among voters’ concerns.
The campaigns of the three contenders have started smoothly. So far there have been no signs of electoral violations or charges of foul play. For the most part, rather, the candidates are trying to drive home political messages they believe will win the trust of the electorate.
The Movement of Society for Peace candidate Abdelaali Hassani Cherif launched his campaign from his party’s headquarters in the Mouradia municipality of Algiers under the banner “Opportunity.” He then addressed crowds at Martyrs’ Memorial in Al-Madania municipality and the Place de la Liberte de la Presse (Press Freedom Square) in central Algiers, before holding a major rally at Martyrs’ Square. From there, he travelled to Blida, where he held a meeting in the home of the founder of the Society for Peace Movement, the late Sheikh Mahfoud Nahnah.
FFS candidate Youssef Aouchiche’s campaign opened with a television appearance in which he outlined the key points of his platform “Vision for Tomorrow.” He then gave a series of speeches at rallies starting in the Algerian capital’s Bab Al-Oued district.
President Tebboune, who is running under the slogan “For a Victorious Algeria,” is supported by various political parties, including the National Construction Movement (MCN), the National Liberation Front (FLN), the Future Front (FA), and the National Democratic Rally (RND). They have organised rallies in different parts of the country, from Tindouf in the southwest, Mostaganem and Aïn Témouchent in the west and Tamanghasset in the south of Algeria, to the capital.
Under Article 75 of Algeria’s basic election law, candidates and all others involved in a campaign must refrain from hate speech and any form of discrimination, and under Article 76, they must not use any foreign language.
Another article prohibits “the use of places of worship, public institutions and administrations, and educational and training institutions, regardless of their type or affiliation, for electoral propaganda purposes of any kind.” The “misuse of state symbols” in campaigns is also prohibited.
The presidential election law grants candidates in any election the right to “fair access to authorised audiovisual media, in accordance with the legislation and regulation in force.” These media, in turn, “are required to participate in covering the electoral campaign and ensure the fair distribution of airtime among candidates.”
Algeria has more than 23,486,000 registered voters, with women and men making up 47 and 53 per cent of the electorate, respectively, and about 36 per cent of voters are under the age of 40. Approximately 865,490 registered voters reside abroad, with 45 per cent of those being women and 15 per cent under 40. These figures were announced by the ANIE Chairman Abdellatif Rahal in a press conference on 14 August.
If no candidate wins a majority in the first round of voting, a run-off is held. However, observers predict that President Tebboune will secure a win in the first round because of the relatively short campaign time available to his competitors. His rivals’ positions on many key domestic and international issues are also not too different from his. Observers also believe that voter turnout may be relatively low because of the summer heat.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 22 August, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: