Algeria: Presidential Election in Algeria – the Military Plays an Increasingly Important Role in the Country

Algiers — Algerians will elect their Head of State tomorrow, September 7. Outgoing President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 78, is widely considered the favorite. His only challengers, accepted by the Constitutional Court and confirmed by the Independent National Electoral Authority (ANIE), are only two: the Islamist Abdelali Hassani Cherif of the Movement for the Society of Peace (Algerian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood) and Youssef Aouchiche, secretary of the historic opposition party Front des Forces Socialistes (FFS). The early election (which was supposed to take place in December) does not seem to have aroused much enthusiasm among the Algerian population, which is struggling with the consequences of the sharp rise in the prices of basic services. According to some interpretations, the decision to bring the election forward to September, announced in March, appears to have been dictated by a desire to prevent protests and demonstrations. The electoral campaign reached its peak in the hot Algerian August, making it difficult, if not impossible, to organize demonstrations. In addition, most workers were on holiday, which reduced the possibility of strikes to a minimum.

Tebboune came to power in 2019 after the overthrow of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was preparing to serve a fifth term despite poor health and a governance marked by corruption and inefficiency. The angry population had launched the popular movement “Hirak”, which took to the streets to demand Bouteflika’s resignation. Tebboune had taken office promising reforms, but the 2020 coronavirus pandemic had allowed the regime to introduce measures restricting the population’s movement and censoring social media, which effectively paralyzed and brought the “Hirak” movement under control.

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Under Tebboune’s presidency, the military’s role in the administration of power was strengthened, a development that had already begun under Bouteflika, when the center of gravity of real power shifted from the security services (colloquially known as the “Securité Militaire”) to the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces, whose commander-in-chief, General Saïd Chanegriha, often appears alongside the president at public ceremonies. Faced with real or perceived threats affecting Algeria from within and without, the armed forces have been assigned an increasingly important role in public life, and the defense budget is set to increase to nearly €20 billion by 2023.

In this context, it is clear that voter turnout is the real figure that indicates the level of acceptance of the regime among the population. Of the 45 million inhabitants, only 23 million are registered to participate in the election. Voting by Algerians living abroad already began on September 2.

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