Algeria: Early elections called amid Tebboune uncertainty
Algeria’s presidential office announced that the country will “hold early presidential elections on September 7th, 2024,” according to AFP.
The March 21st announcement came amid what Amnesty International described as a climate of “repression of peaceful dissent” in the country, with its government having cracked down on demonstrations and increased legal action against opponents, activists, journalists, and academics.
The decision to hold elections three months ahead of schedule was declared following a meeting between President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, lawmakers, and the army’s chief of staff, but no immediate explanation for the move was provided.
Tebboune, 78, whose presidential term was due to expire in December 2023, has not confirmed whether he will seek a second term in office, fuelling speculation as to the president’s health.
The Algerian leader underwent surgery in Germany in 2020 to treat “post-COVID complications,” where he remained until February 2021, according to Al Jazeera.
READ: Algeria: Tebboune likely to win second term
Senior analyst at the EU Institute for Security Studies Dr Dalia Ghanem suggested via X that, while the early election announcement was “surprising,” speculation is best reserved until further comment from Tebboune’s office.
The leader came to power in December 2019, after pro-democracy protests forced long-time president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, out of office. Tebboune, Bouteflika’s former premier, won a 58% majority in the subsequent elections that were branded a “charade” by protesters, according to Reuters.
After Bouteflika’s resignation, pro-democracy protests led by the country’s Hirak movement continued pushing for wide-scale reforms in the hydrocarbon-rich country but were stunted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tebboune administration banned the Hirak movement amid wide-scale crackdowns on political and press freedoms and decent, with Algeria now ranking 136th out of 180 countries and territories in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index.
READ: Tebboune praises Algerian judiciary despite political trials
On February 22nd, AFP reported on a report published human rights watchdog Amnesty International, outlining the ways in which Algerian authorities were still increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
In the report based on the testimonies of detainees, their families, and lawyers, the NGO said Algerian authorities had “escalated their repression of peaceful dissent” since the Hirak movement ended in early 2020, due to the COVID pandemic and protest ban.
AFP / Reuters / Al Jazeera
