Algerian presidential election: waiting for results, Tebboune expected to win

Algerians are awaiting the results of yesterday's presidential election on Sunday, which should result in the unsurprising re-election of Abdelmadjid Tebboune for a second term, following a vote marked by low turnout.

The president of the electoral authority, Anie, Mohamed Charfi, announced on the night of Saturday to Sunday, and with a three-hour delay, “an average participation rate of 48.03% at 8:00 p.m.”, without giving the exact number of voters.

He mentioned “a preliminary figure”, with a final rate expected on Sunday with the results of the vote.

Turnout was the real issue of the vote, Mr. Tebboune wanting to be re-elected as “a normal president, not a badly elected president” like five years ago, according to Hasni Abidi, analyst and director of the Cermam Study Center in Geneva.

In December 2019, Mr. Tebboune had been elected with 58% of the votes but a participation of only 39.83% (60% abstention).

Counting of ballots for the presidential election in Algeria, September 7, 2024 in Algiers © AFP – –

Faced with a low turnout on Saturday, and an official “average participation rate” of around 26% at 5:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. GMT) compared to 33% five years ago, the Anie had decided to extend the opening of polling stations by one hour.

Facing the outgoing president, two candidates were in the running: Abdelaali Hassani, a 57-year-old engineer, head of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP, the main Islamist party) and Youcef Aouchiche, 41, a former journalist and senator, head of the Front of Socialist Forces (FFS, the oldest opposition party).

Candidate Hassani's campaign management denounced in a press release on Sunday “violations” of the voting process with “pressure on certain polling station officials to inflate the results”, including the participation rate.

The MSP press release described as a “strange term” the “average participation rate” announced by the Anie, which averages the readings from different regions. The participation rate usually corresponds to the number of voters divided by the number of registered voters (24.5 million in total).

“We want this election to result in a real change in the lives of citizens, a change for the better. We are optimistic that the next president will pay close attention to our concerns,” Hassane Boudaoud, a 52-year-old shopkeeper, told AFP on Sunday.

Not far from him, Ibrahim Sendjak Eddine, a day laborer, agrees: “Anyone who can respond to the wishes and demands of the people and anyone who serves Algeria is welcome, because people are looking for stability, job opportunities, work and housing.”

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The Algerian press headlined Sunday that the election had gone well, without giving a turnout rate.

Outgoing Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune votes in Algiers, during the presidential election, on September 7, 2024 © Facebook page of the Algerian presidency – –

Mr. Tebboune was the clear favorite even before the outcome of the election, benefiting from the support of four major parties, notably the National Liberation Front (FLN, former single party).

The three candidates have assured that they want to straighten out the economy, so that it is less dependent on hydrocarbons (95% of foreign currency revenues).

– “Political maturity” –

Helped by the natural gas windfall, of which Algeria is the leading African exporter, Mr. Tebboune has promised to make Algeria “the second largest economy in Africa”.

A voter casts his ballot in Staoueli, near Algiers, during Algeria's presidential election on September 7, 2024 © AFP – –

Of the more than 24 million voters for a population of 45 million, more than a third were young people who were rare on Saturday in the queues composed mainly of middle-aged men and women.

For Mr. Abidi, the low turnout is explained by a “mediocre campaign” with few meetings and Mr. Tebboune's competitors “not up to the task”. Voters said to themselves “what's the point of voting if all the predictions are in favor of the president”, according to the expert who emphasized the “political maturity” of Algerians.

After his probable re-election, Mr. Tebboune “will survive a deficit of popular support but on condition that he completely reviews his method of governance and makes changes to his team”, Mr. Abidi estimated. Otherwise, the “deficit of democracy” in his record could be a handicap in a new term, the analyst added.

A voter casts his ballot in Algiers, during the presidential election in Algeria, on September 7, 2024 © AFP – –

While Mr. Tebboune did not mention this issue, his rivals promised more rights and freedoms during their campaign. In particular, the FFS candidate who pledged to “free prisoners of conscience through an amnesty and to review unjust laws” on terrorism or the media.

The NGO Amnesty International accused the government this week of continuing to “stifle civic space by maintaining a severe repression of human rights”.

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