Polling stations across Algeria opened at 8 am local time (07:00 GMT) on Saturday for a presidential election in which incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is widely expected to secure a second term.
Over 24 million Algerians are registered to vote, while more than 800,000 Algerians living abroad, many in France, began casting their ballots on September 2.
Tebboune, 78, is the frontrunner in the race, facing two challengers: Abdelaali Hassani Cherif, 57, and Youcef Aouchiche, 41.
Despite a field of 15 candidates initially expressing interest, only Hassani Cherif and Aouchiche gathered sufficient signatures to qualify. Neither challenger has taken a strong stance against the military establishment, which has been influential in Algerian politics since the 1960s.
The election, which Tebboune’s office advanced from its originally scheduled December date, has been marked by a lack of enthusiasm. Campaign rallies have struggled to gain traction, partly due to the summer heat, and political commentator Mohamed Hennad has dismissed the election as a “farce” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Hennad criticized the restrictive campaign conditions that he believes undermine the democratic process.
One of Tebboune’s primary challenges is to increase voter turnout, which was notably low in previous elections. In 2019, when he first assumed office, voter turnout was under 40 percent.
This figure dropped further to about 30 percent in the 2021 legislative elections. The low turnout during these times was influenced by the Hirak pro-democracy protests that led to the ousting of Tebboune’s predecessor, Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The protests were eventually suppressed through intensified policing and mass incarcerations.
With young people representing more than half of Algeria’s 45 million population, all candidates are targeting this demographic with promises to enhance living standards and reduce the nation’s reliance on hydrocarbons.
As voters head to the polls, the focus remains on whether Tebboune can rally sufficient support to ensure a robust turnout and strengthen his mandate for a second term.
