ALGIERS: Algeria’s incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been re-elected for a second term, securing 94.65% of the vote, the National Independent Authority for Elections (ANIE) announced on Sunday.
ANIE head Mohamed Charfi told reporters in the capital Algiers that out of 5,630,000 registered voters, 5,320,000 cast their ballots in favor of Tebboune, who was the sole independent candidate in the race. Charfi praised the election for its “broad transparency” and described it as a reflection of the electorate’s maturity.
However, the election was marred by controversy regarding voter turnout, a key concern for the re-elected president. Charfi did not disclose the official turnout rate, which had been a significant challenge for Tebboune, particularly given the high abstention rates in the previous election.
In 2019, Tebboune’s initial election was marred by a record abstention rate exceeding 60% amid widespread protests and calls for democratic reform.
Initially, ANIE had reported an “average turnout” rate of 48% but did not provide detailed figures comparing the number of actual voters to those registered. The authority had extended voting hours by one hour on election day, expecting a higher turnout, but the final figures were announced three hours later than scheduled.
Early provisional reports indicated a participation rate of 26% by 5:00 pm (1600 GMT), compared to 33% at the same time during the 2019 elections. This discrepancy led to accusations from opposition candidates about the authenticity of the reported turnout.
Abdelaali Hassani, the candidate from the Movement of Society for Peace, and Youcef Aouchiche, representing the Socialist Forces Front, both raised concerns about the provisional turnout figures. Hassani’s campaign denounced what it described as attempts to “inflate the results” and called the turnout figures “strange.”
