Algerians vote as President Tebboune faces easy re-election
The presidential election is the first since 2019 after pro-democracy protests prompted the military to oust the previous president
Algerians head to the polls on Saturday to cast votes for president and determine who will govern their gas-rich North African nation – five years after pro-democracy protests prompted the military to oust the previous president after two decades in power.
Since elections were scheduled in March – ahead of the predicted schedule – there has been little suspense as military-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune appears poised to breeze to victory against the two challengers running against him.
The question is how many voters will stay home.
Members of Tebboune’s government as well as his challengers have all urged voters to cast ballots after boycotts and high abstention rates in previous elections marred the government’s ability to claim it enjoys the population’s support.
“I call on Algerians to vote en masse to reinforce our country’s democratic processes,” Mohamed Larbaoui, Tebboune’s Prime Minister, said at the polls on Saturday morning.
Algeria is Africa’s largest country by area and, with almost 45 million people, it’s the continent’s second most populous after South Africa to hold presidential elections in 2024 – a year in which more than 50 elections are being held worldwide, encompassing more than half the world’s population.
