Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has secured a second term with 84.3% of the vote in last week’s election, official results revealed on Saturday, following an initial tally that was contested by his challengers.
The preliminary results, announced by Algeria’s electoral authority, ANIE, had initially awarded Tebboune nearly 95% of the vote. This prompted his opponents to challenge the figures, filing appeals with the Constitutional Court.
On Saturday, the court’s president, Omar Belhadj, announced the final official count, confirming Tebboune’s overwhelming lead over his two lesser-known rivals.
“We announce that Mr Abdelmadjid Tebboune is elected for a second term, and will assume his responsibilities when he swears in,” Belhadj said in a live broadcast on national television and radio.
The 78-year-old incumbent was widely expected to win comfortably, with his primary focus on securing a strong voter turnout. Belhadj reported that voter participation stood at 46.1% for the September 7 election.
Tebboune first came to power in December 2019, winning 58% of the vote in a highly controversial election that saw a record abstention rate of over 60%, amid the mass Hirak pro-democracy protests.
However, his tenure has faced criticism, particularly regarding his human rights record. Amnesty International has condemned the Algerian government’s “repression of civic space” under Tebboune, citing a “zero-tolerance approach to dissenting opinions.”
Hasni Abidi, an analyst at the Geneva-based CERMAM Study Centre, highlighted the importance of voter turnout for Tebboune, who aimed to be seen as “a normal president, not a poorly elected one.”
Election Controversy
One of Tebboune’s main challengers, Abdelaali Hassani of the moderate Islamist Movement of Society for Peace, challenged the vote count earlier in the week, calling the results “fraudulent.” Another opponent, Youcef Aouchiche, leader of the centre-left Socialist Forces Front, also accused ANIE of manipulating the outcome.
In a rare move, all three campaigns, including Tebboune’s, released a joint statement on Sunday raising concerns about “irregularities” in the initial results, and questioned the participation figures reported by ANIE.
The preliminary results had given Tebboune 94.65% of the vote, with Hassani at 3.17% and Aouchiche at 2.16%. However, the final count adjusted Hassani’s share to 9.56% and Aouchiche’s to 6.14%.
Over 24 million Algerians were registered to vote in this election, out of a total population of 45 million. According to the final figures from the Constitutional Court, 11.2 million voters participated on September 7, with 9.4 million valid ballots cast.
Tebboune rose to power after a widely boycotted election and amid a wave of pro-democracy protests, which eventually diminished during his tenure as police crackdowns intensified and hundreds of demonstrators were imprisoned.
During his first term, Tebboune promoted his economic achievements, which included job creation and wage increases. Algeria’s economy has grown at a rate of around 4% over the past two years, but it remains heavily reliant on oil and gas exports to sustain its social programmes.