Algeria- Officially launched in AlgeriaSince Thursday, August 15, the presidential election campaign train has been running ahead of the upcoming September 7th.
In the second presidential election after the February 22, 2019 movement, the current president is competing Abdelmadjid Tebbouneas an independent candidate, and Youssef Ouchish from the party Socialist Forces Front (Democratic Current and the oldest opposition party in Algeria), and Hassani Sharif Abdelali on Movement of Peace Society (The Islamic movement and the largest opposition party currently).
The Independent National Authority for the Organization of Elections, and later the Constitutional Court, had rejected the files of 13 candidates seeking to enter the presidential race, and 3 of them are currently under judicial supervision “following prosecution for forging the signatures of citizens and elected officials” (required by the electoral law for candidates), according to the indictment.
Quiet competition
The entry of only 3 candidates to compete for El Mouradia Palace is considered the weakest rate in the history of open Algerian presidential elections since 1995, as the last elections in 2019 saw the acceptance of 5 contestants.
The campaign activities are also taking place in the summer, coinciding with the annual vacations of employees, which observers expect will have a negative impact on its popular momentum, while the authorities justified the timing of the early elections with what they described as “expected regional risks.”
In a reading of the ideological and political identity of the three candidates, and the extent to which they represent the popular and regional depth in Algeria, Abdel Salam Filali, Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Badji Mokhtar (Algiers Governorate), believes that… Annaba), it reflects the nature of the Algerian scene as it was formed since the beginning of political pluralism in 1989, i.e.: the national, Islamic, and democratic currents.
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It also agrees, in his opinion, in terms of emphasizing national values and constitutional principles and rejecting regionalism and ethnicity, which “means calm competition far from ideology and identity debate.” Consequently, the electoral campaign discourse will focus on the economic-social dimension in light of the data indicating that the indicators of the Algerian economy and the financial situation are “promising.”
Filali told Al Jazeera Net that the contestants’ speeches will be directed towards creating a shift in governance, combating bureaucracy, corruption, social justice, and improving the conditions of citizens at the level of families, the social environment, and services.
On the other hand, the professor of political sociology believes that the limited narrow presidential competition gives independent candidate Tebboune an advantage based on objective data related to “Algeria overcoming the state of tension and attraction it experienced during the popular movement in 2019, and satisfactory results for the economic recovery project while awaiting its positive effects, especially on unemployment and purchasing power.”
As for the other two candidates, Ouchich and Cherif, the first challenge they face – in his opinion – is to confirm their image with the Algerian voter, considering that they are able to present a competitive and convincing program given their limited popularity, in addition to the obstacle of the President of the Republic’s preference for starting and his support from active parties.
bets
Regarding the summer time for the election campaign, analyst Filali confirms its negative impact on citizens’ ability to follow its course and view the content of the programmes presented, and on the rate of participation in the vote.
He said that the date imposes a major challenge on the government to ensure that the participation rate is at least 60%, and accordingly, the stakes of these elections are in choosing and bringing voters to the polling stations on September 7, especially in light of the limited turnout during the previous stations.
Regarding external bets, Salim Qallala, professor of future studies and international relations at the University of Algiers 1, explained in statements to Al Jazeera Net that the current elections are taking place within the context of new data resulting from the transformation taking place in Algeria’s neighboring countries, especially inAfrican coastwhere tensions and foreign interventions increased.
Qallala expects that this will have an impact on the political discourse of the candidates, as they will all focus on reactivating the negotiation mechanisms that Algeria previously adopted and achieved results in the region, while they were recently abandoned, especially in Mali.
He believes that what applies to the Sahel countries applies to other neighbouring countries, as Algeria will not abandon its policy of good neighbourliness and non-interference in the affairs of others within the framework of the basic principles governing its foreign policy.
As for dealing with European countries, what is currently happening is a diversification of Algerian relations, with a noticeable departure from… France Politically and commercially, there is a great deal of agreement between the candidates on this issue within the framework of the unity of perspective for foreign policy, according to Qallala.
He added that the world is going through a transitional phase from the dominance of a single pole led by US To multipolarity, where the room for maneuver for the countries of the South increases significantly, and they have the opportunity – for the first time since World War II– To build a foreign and domestic policy in accordance with its interests.
This is the situation of Algeria today, in the analyst’s estimation, as it works to avoid remaining within any circle of domination, whether eastern or western, and as much as this position carries an independent orientation, it carries challenges that are felt by the political candidate, as well as by the citizen who wants a balanced foreign policy for his country, which enhances the path of development and keeps foreign interference away from it, as he put it.
International influences
From this perspective, the foresight expert sees little impact of the external environment on the presidential elections in Algeria, by observing 4 main variables in this field, which are:
- Relations with Western countries in light of common interests, especially in the field of energy exports and maintaining security, especially in the Mediterranean basin.
- Relations with the major Eastern powers, such as China andRussiaIn terms of the steady rise in cooperation indicators over the past few years.
- The importance of the relationship with the South, especially the African countries that are now seeking to adopt a policy independent of the West, and to reconsider their unequal relations with all its countries, most notably the former colonizer.
- The position on the Palestinian issue, with all its geopolitical implications in the region, is a very prominent variable in the current elections, and has a major impact on Algeria’s foreign policy.
In the same context, analyst Qallala stressed a “very important” issue that may be unique to Algeria, which is the existence of unity in the external position between the government and the opposition, which sometimes reaches the point of complete conformity, in contrast to the position on internal policies and methods of managing state affairs.
Accordingly, the spokesman expects the candidates to continue to be identical, whether in their understanding of the nature of the impact of external variables on domestic policy, or in their position on various international issues, whether in the south or the north.
