Politics Presidential election started in Algeria

The presidential election has begun in Algeria. More than 24 million people have been called to vote since the polling stations opened in the morning. The incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune is running against the social democrat Jussef Auschisch and the moderate Islamist Abdelaali Hassani Scherif. The polling stations are still open until the evening. It could be weeks before the final results are announced.

Observers assume that Tebboune will win the election. It would be his second term in office. The 78-year-old came to power for the first time in 2019. Mass protests had previously erupted in the North African country when former long-term president Abdelaziz Bouteflika sought a fifth term in office after 20 years in power. Voter turnout in the 2019 election was negligible. It was only around 40 percent. There has never been a smooth transition of power in Algeria since independence in 1962.

SDA