Algeria: Early Presidential Elections on September 7

Presidential elections will be held in Algeria on September 7, but already on Monday, September 2, citizens living abroad were able to start voting (900 thousand people are registered in the lists abroad).

The last presidential election was held in 2019 and was marked by the triumph of Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who managed to win 58% of the vote in a consultation characterized by strong no-shows. Tebboune, 78, will run again with the support of his former National Liberation Front (FLN) party, and there will also be the leader of the Movement for Society of Peace (MSP), the largest Islamist party, Abdelali Hassani, and Youssef Aouchiche, secretary of the Socialist Forces Front (FFS).

The election was originally scheduled for December, 5 years after the previous consultation, but Tebboune decided to postpone it by three months, considering the period of schools opening to be optimal, a fact that raised some doubts, given that the election campaign thus had to be held during the hot summer months. Tebboune himself did not announce his re-nomination until July 11, explaining that he would be satisfied if the Algerian people elected him president, while otherwise he would leave the country in good standing, having “accomplished his mission.”

In recent years, Algeria has benefited from the conflict in Ukraine and the greater attractiveness of its gas, which has led to an increase in treasury revenues, and this has translated into increased social spending and a larger defense budget. The country joined BRICS in early 2024, and its membership was recently approved by the New Development Bank.