Algeria’s presidential election, set for 7 September, is drawing scrutiny for both the policies at play and a lack of competition. Some 24 million voters will choose from three candidates, including incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The narrow field has led to allegations of undemocratic practices, with opposition figures claiming the system is rigged to favour the status quo.
President of the National Independent Authority for Elections (ANIE), Mohamed Charfi, highlighted the "positive dynamic of registrations" as he expressed hopes of a high turnout for the vote.
However, the lack of choice has cast a shadow following the rejection of 13 potential candidates.
Only two candidates were approved to challenge Tebboune: Abdelaali Hassani of the moderate Islamist party, the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), and Youcef Aouchiche of the centre-left Socialist Forces Front (FFS).
Local media reports that Hassani kicked off his campaign in the capital, Algiers, under the slogan “Opportunity,” while Aouchiche launched his in the popular Bab El Oued district with the slogan “Vision for Tomorrow”.
'Neutralising' opposition?
The thirteen other hopefuls, however, failed to secure the required number of signatures to enter the race, a barrier that many argue is symptomatic of a broader effort to "neutralise the opposition".
Emmanuel Alcaraz, an Algeria expert at the Mesopolhis research laboratory in Aix-en-Provence, told RFI that the current political system "weaponises justice to get rid of opponents", leaving Algeria with a "civilian facade" controlled by the military.
Despite the controversy, the candidates who are in the race have focused their campaigns on addressing Algeria's pressing social and economic challenges, RFI's correspondent in Algiers reported.
Tebboune – who took power from Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019 with 58 percent of the vote but a turnout of less than 40 percent – has promised significant social measures.
They include a potential 100 percent increase in salaries by 2027 and a continuation of efforts to reduce inflation – which he said had already fallen from 11 to 6 percent.
"The same goes for retirement pensions. I will review everything that favours the consolidation of spending power," Tebboune added.
FFS candidate Youcef Aouchiche has proposed a significant increase in the national minimum wage, aiming to raise it to 40,000 dinars.
"I also commit, as part of the strengthening of social protection, to creating a universal income of 20,000 dinars for all social categories," he said.
Abdelaali Hassani, the MSP candidate, has focused on positioning Algeria as an emerging nation, pledging to address social issues such as youth unemployment, illegal migration and school dropout rates.
He emphasised the need to prevent the country's talent from seeking opportunities abroad.
Tightened security
Amid the election campaign, security issues have also come to the fore. Earlier in August, Algerian authorities arrested 21 people in connection with an alleged plot to smuggle weapons into the country aboard a commercial ferry coming from Marseille.
The defence ministry linked the arrests to the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK), a group Algeria considers a "terrorist organisation".
According to the ministry, the group aimed to disrupt the upcoming elections by sowing disorder and insecurity. The ministry further accused "foreign intelligence services hostile to Algeria" of complicity in the plot.
MAK, founded in 2001 after protests in the Berber-majority Kabylie region, has long been a thorn in the side of the Algerian government.
In 2022, its leader Ferhat Mehenni, who lives in France, was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment on charges of "creating a terrorist organisation and undermining national integrity".
Algeria's presidential election campaign continues until 3 September.
