The electoral authority has been officially convened this Saturday, June 8th, 2024, for the long-awaited presidential election on September 7th in Algeria. Five candidates are in preparation, although their candidacies have not yet been validated. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has not told the world what he plans for in the future, even as a coalition of political parties pushes him to seek a second term.
All indications signal that the incumbent may run for re-election. Earlier this week, Tebboune vowed that his administration would be committed to creating a “strong democratic and social state” in Algeria. Reflecting this, several parties declared their support for his candidacy on Wednesday. The El Bina Movement, the FLN, the RND, and the El-Mostaqbal Front have backed him.
Five other parties have opted to run their candidates. To the left, the Union for Change and Progress (UCP) has nominated lawyer Zoubida Assoul. The Workers Party has nominated Louisa Hanoune. The Socialist Forces Front will be fielding the candidate Youcef Aouchiche. On the right end of the political spectrum, the ANR, that is the National Republican Alliance, has put forward Belkacem Sahli, and Abdelali Hassani will be contesting for the MSP, that is the Movement of Society for Peace, which is an Islamist party.
For these candidates now, the real test will begin. Starting Saturday, June 8, 2024, they have 40 days to file their candidacy dossiers with the National Independent Election Authority (Anie). These must be made up of 600 signatures from elected officials, or 50,000 voters, coming from 29 wilayas, at least. It is then for Anie to validate the candidacies. The official electoral campaign will start from the twenty-third day to the voting date, August 14th.