Algerians will go to the polls on Saturday, but many voters feel indifferent about an election they believe won’t alter the current situation.
Incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 78, is expected to secure a second term, and voters express little excitement regarding his or any other candidates’ proposals.
Mourad Boulaam, a local resident, expressed his doubts, stating, “First of all, the three programs did not convince me. They seem to all have the same platform. So, I will not be voting.”
Walid Ait Hassan, a young voter, does not expect this election to bring about change, noting that there has been no improvement since the 2019 elections. “These elections are no different from the last ones on December 12, 2019. Campaigns are filled with promises, but in the end, we find out they are just lies,” he said.
The country’s election authority has given the green light to only two candidates to take on Tebboune: 57 year-old Islamist Abdelaali Hassani Cherif, and 41 year-old socialist Youcef Aouchiche, a former journalist from a significant center-left opposition party.
According to political analyst Tarik Hafid, “The real issue is not who will be president since we all know, given the addresses of the main political parties, that it will be Abdelmadjid Tebboune who will win a second term. The real issue will be the turnout, popular support. Will Algerians next Saturday, September 7, go in large numbers to participate in this election?”
Some opposition figures have denounced this vote as a superficial exercise, resulting in a boycott from various political parties that chose not to nominate candidates.