Campaigning for the presidential election has begun in Algeria, with three candidates on the ballot on September 7.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is seeking a second term, but he is joined in the presidential race by Youcef Aouchiche of the Socialist Forces Front and Abdelali Hassani Cherif of the Society for Peace Movement. Mr. Tebboune, elected in December 2019, is running as an independent candidate.
More than 24 million Algerians are eligible to vote in the election. Mohamed Charfi, head of the National Independent Electoral Authority, said officials were “fully prepared” and promised to “respect constitutional rules and ensure neutrality, transparency and the protection of voters’ freedom of choice.”
Writer and journalist Othman Lahiani said the election comes at a time when Algeria is facing growing challenges and the public is increasingly apathetic towards the political class. He also said:
“There are a number of economic and political reforms that are overdue, including the purging of the economy through the development of several sectors, as well as fighting corruption and restructuring the political institutions that have been undermined in the past decade.”
Foreign policy has also become crucial as regional unrest poses a threat to Algeria’s stability, he also added.
The military is battling the separatist Azawad movement in northern Mali, which borders Algeria, and Algeria is trying to play a mediating role in Niger after a military coup last year caused tensions with its neighbours.
Algeria is among more than 50 countries holding elections in 2024.
