Algeria: Opposition parties galvanized by election uncertainty
Algerian voters have been left bewildered by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s March 21st decision to hold elections three months ahead of schedule, without clarifying if he will run for a second term. With the Progress Party’s Zoubida Assoul having announced her candidacy, other parties have promised to announce their intentions in the coming weeks.
The uncertainty has galvanized the country’s Islamist and secular opposition parties after years of lethargy, according to AP on April 4th.
With “Ma fhemna walou,” North African Arabic for “we didn’t understand anything,” trending across social media platforms, opposition parties are scrambling to put forward candidates for the September 7th poll.
Tebboune has not yet confirmed whether or not he will run in the election and said that “it is not the appropriate moment to answer that question” when asked in a recent television interview, raising questions about what lies ahead for the 78-year-old leader and the military apparatus that backs his presidency.
READ: Algeria: Early elections called amid Tebboune uncertainty
On April 7th, Tebboune explained the snap election as a “purely technical” matter of scheduling, being “the opportune time for holding this election because it coincides with the end of the summer vacations and the start of the new school year for many Algerians inside and outside the country, who will be able to express their views.”
Critics of the move say that a September election means that the height of campaigning will take place in August, when many Algerians leave the country to seek respite from the heat. The opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy part criticises the move, calling it a “constitutional coup de force” that would cause “the de facto exclusion of society as a whole.”
The official explanation failed to end speculation around Tebboune’s health but the National Liberation Front, which the President was long affiliated with, has endorsed the early election date and has said that it will soon decide whether to back the president of pout forward its own candidate.
READ: Algeria: Tebboune likely to win second term
Algeria’s largest opposition party, The Socialist Forces Front, has said it will soon decide as to how to respond to Tebboune’s announcement, promising to make the election “an occasion for a great debate.”
Islamist parties voiced support for the September 7th date, with Abderrazak Makri of the Movement for Society and Peace (Hams) stating his interest in running for office, dependent on his party’s decision at a scheduled summit.
The only challenger to announce their candidacy is Zoubida Assoul of Progress Party, a lawyer who has represented political prisoners such as journalist Khaled Drareni who became a symbol for press freedom in the country, according to AFP.
AP / AFP
