Algeria: Tebboune seeks second term as elections approach
Seeking to further entrench the power of Algeria’s political and military elite, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced on July 11th his intention to run for a second term in office, according to Asharq Al-Awsat and The New Arab.
Tebboune ascended to power in 2019 as the military and establishment-backed candidate during widespread protests mainly directed towards former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s candidacy for a fifth presidential term.
The 78-year-old political veteran stated in an interview broadcast on Algerian television that continued support from political parties and young people motivated his decision to run again.
“If the Algerian people want to vote for me, that’s fine; otherwise, I’ll have accomplished my mission, and whoever succeeds me will be welcome,” announced Tebboune, adding that all past victories achieved were “the victories of the Algerian people, not mine.”
Tebboune announced in March that the presidential election would take place three months earlier, on September 7th, without explanation. Political scientist Rachid Grime stated that the President’s intentions were “an open secret” and his candidacy a byproduct of discussions among the political elite despite Tebboune’s seeming reluctance to take office initially.
READ: Algeria: Leading parties endorse Tebboune for re-election
The day before Tebboune’s announcement, the President had visited Kabylia, located in the mountainous region east of Algiers and known as an epicentre of anti-government sentiment. Several members of the Movement for the Autonomy of Kayblia are imprisoned. Whilst there, Tebboune inaugurated a new stadium and announced plans for a 500-bed hospital and desalination plant for the region.
34 other candidates have announced plans to run in the election; however, only three have gathered enough signatures to appear on the ballot—at least 50,000 in half of the country’s 58 regions. July 18th is the final date for candidates to collect the required signatures.
The three candidates are Youcef Aouchiche of the Socialist Forces Front, Algeria’s largest opposition party; Abdellah Hassan Cherif of the Islamist party Movement for Society and Peace; and Sadia Naghzi of the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises.
The ramifications of a second Tebboune term would further distance the country from the aspirations voiced by its “Hirak” movement, also known as the “Revolution of Smiles”. The movement held weekly street protests pressuring the country’s ailing and longest-serving head of state to resign with the further goals of ending the military’s influence in the political system and becoming a more democratic state.
Tebboune won the election in 2019 with 58% of the vote. However, the election also witnessed a very low turnout of 39.9% due to many protestors boycotting and critics of the government calling it a rushed affair that concealed the old regime’s grip on the gas-rich country.
Tebboune’s economic policies included his goal of diversifying Algeria’s gas-reliant economy; however, due to the impact of the war in Ukraine, Europe has turned to the North African OPEC member to avoid buying Russian fuel.
READ: Algeria: 2 more journalists arrested in crackdown on dissent
Algeria’s 159 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves are estimated to be the 11th largest in the world. Despite boasting more resource wealth than its neighbours, Algeria remains plagued by occasional shortages of necessities like cooking oil.
Shortly after his election victory, the President released some jailed protesters and journalists before launching a campaign to bring stability and fight corruption in Algeria. Tebboune simultaneously tightened his grip on power, leading to a decline in media freedoms and political party activity. Many journalists now face jail time, while outlets critical of the government have lost out on state funding and are unable to survive.
After receiving testimonies from detainees, families and lawyers, Amnesty International found that Algerian authorities had “escalated their repression of peaceful dissent” since the Hirak protests fizzled out in early 2020.
Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa director, went on to state, “It is a tragedy that five years after brave Algerians took to the streets in their masses to demand political change and reforms, the authorities have continued to wage a chilling campaign of repression”.
Asharq Al-Awsat / The New Arab and agencies