Algerian President Pursues Re-Election Amidst Low Voter Turnout, Reports Reuters

By Lamine Chikhi

ALGIERS (Reuters) – Algerians participated in an election on Saturday, with military-backed President Abdulmadjid Tebboune expected to secure a second term. However, early turnout figures indicated low voter enthusiasm.

By 5:00 p.m. local time, only 26.5% of registered voters had cast their ballots, according to the electoral commission. Polling stations were extended until 8:00 p.m., one hour later than originally planned, to accommodate more voters.

Tebboune, who has leveraged increased gas revenues to expand social benefits during his first term, faces no significant challengers. Two other candidates are in the race, but neither opposes the military establishment that has maintained power since the 1960s.

Preliminary results may be announced later in the evening, but final official results are not expected for several days.

"I voted for Tebboune to give him a chance to continue his policies," remarked Smail Hached, 39, at a polling station in a suburb of Algiers. In contrast, 24-year-old Abdeslem Aziz expressed his disillusionment with politics, feeling that the election wouldn’t bring about any change, leading him to abstain from voting.

A victory for Tebboune would likely mean the preservation of policies aimed at enhancing the country’s energy exports, implementing limited pro-business reforms, continuing extensive subsidies, and maintaining strict control over internal dissent.

Many Algerians are keen to see if election turnout will surpass the 40% recorded in 2019’s election, which took place amid the mass ‘Hirak’ protests that resulted in the ousting of former president Abdulaziz Bouteflika.

In Lakhdaria, east of Algiers, Naima Belgacem noted she was among the approximately two million Algerians receiving a monthly unemployment benefit of 15,000 dinars (approximately $113) introduced by Tebboune. She expressed her intention to vote, acknowledging that while the amount isn’t substantial, it helps cover her phone expenses and other costs.

Although Algeria’s unemployment rate decreased to 12.25% last year from over 14% during the COVID pandemic in 2020, many young people like Belgacem are still seeking employment. Tebboune has promised to increase benefits and create half a million jobs.

Belgacem, who holds a diploma from a business school in Algiers, frequently travels to the capital in search of work but has found "nothing" available.

In terms of social spending, the International Monetary Fund commended Algeria’s attempts to diversify its economy away from oil and gas to encourage private sector growth that could enhance employment opportunities. However, the IMF cautioned that substantial government deficits stemming from high spending could leave public finances susceptible to economic shocks.

The effects of this spending are visible throughout Algiers, where new apartment buildings for social housing have sprung up in the suburbs, decorated with election posters in recent weeks.

The current electoral landscape sharply contrasts with Algeria’s last election in 2019, when President Bouteflika, who had been in power for 20 years and was in declining health, struggled to make public appearances amid low energy prices that severely impacted state finances and led to cuts in government spending.

The 2019 protests saw hundreds of thousands demanding an end to corruption and the departure of the entrenched political elite. Despite Bouteflika’s resignation, demonstrations continued, fueled by frustrations that the Hirak movement’s goals remained unfulfilled. However, the COVID pandemic and a campaign against some protest leaders effectively quelled the rallies.

This week, Amnesty International reported that the Algerian authorities had employed new laws targeting dissent and cracked down on opponents in the lead-up to the election.