How many Algerians went to the polls on September 7 to re-elect Abdelmadjid Tebboune as head of state? More than a week after the vote, the turnout in the presidential election, the only real issue in the election, is still being discussed much more than the election result, which is known in advance.
The Constitutional Court, by its announcement on Saturday 14 September, did nothing to alleviate the controversy. According to its president, Omar Belhadj, the turnout finally rose to 46.1%. A considerable difference with the 23-25% announced by the Independent National Electoral Authority (ANIE), the subject of numerous ironic comments.
In fact, the number of voters almost doubled, from more than 5.6 million, according to ANIE, to 11.2 million according to the Constitutional Court. This increase caused the winner’s score to fall from 94.1 to 84.3%, while giving him more than 2.3 million additional votes. But attention was first reserved for the spectacular leap of the Islamist candidate, Abdelaali Hassani Cherif, and that of the Front of Socialist Forces (FFS), Youcef Aouchiche, both “companions” Mr Tebboune, who is now credited with a score of over 5%, synonymous with reimbursement of campaign expenses.
“Is there any comment possible after these figures?” commented on the social network The former president of the Peace Society Movement, Abderrezak Makri, highlighted on Facebook that “The difference in participation rates announced by two institutions cannot be that great. (…) Tariffs determined on the basis of agreements will be a curse for their authors and this will only aggravate the collapse of citizens’ confidence.”.
Electoral waste
In fact, neither Abdelmadjid Tebboune nor his two pseudo-rivals on 7 September emerged strengthened from a vote that contributed to discrediting the institutions. For many observers, this electoral chaos demonstrates a loss of capacity at all levels of the State. “They are not even capable of committing fraud properly anymore!” jokes one Internet user.
In this context, Mohamed Charfi, president of ANIE, who after having suffered all the criticism for not having managed to achieve the participation rate, is now praised for having given, despite himself, a more consistent image of popular disaffection with these elections.
The growing distance between Algerians and the political system that governs them has sparked the words of some regime politicians, such as Abdelaziz Rahabi, former diplomat and former Minister of Communications, who points out that the “The silent Hirak finally spoke”. In a post on his X account, he warns that “Algeria has entered a phase of ungovernability due to the regime’s inability to respond to the Hirak’s key demands and the closure of political and media spaces”.
Soufiane Djilali, who supported Mr. Tebboune’s first term, believes that “The country is in the grip of an inevitable political crisis if the roots of national unrest are not addressed. (…) . There is no other option than to build a healthy political life or openly proclaim a dictatorship.”. FFS activists, breaking with their leadership which opted to participate in the elections, regretted seeing their party which has always fought against fraud. “lend themselves to shameless schemes”.
Under these conditions, will the regime listen to those who believe that the answer to this record level of abstention in a presidential election lies in a political opening, in particular in an immediate release of prisoners of conscience? Many in Algeria doubt this and fear further tension.
