Algeria’s president Abdelmadjid Tebboune has announced September 7, 2024, as the date for the forthcoming presidential election.
Tebboune won a five-year term in December 2019 and is eligible to run for a second and final term, according to the Algerian constitution.
Last year, parliament members admonished Tebboune to run. He is yet to officially announce his candidacy.
At the moment, only 67-year-old Zoubida Assoul of the Union for Change and Progress has announced plans to challenge Tebboune.
Many Algerians raised questions and concerns because the current government’s tenure is expected to end by December 2024.
Assoul, who is a lawyer, is best known for defending political prisoners and said three weeks ago in her declaration that she was running because she felt “confident in the possibility of changing the course of things.”
The September election will be the first since the 78-year-old military-backed leader rose to power in 2019. He won in a low-turnout election following a popular “Hirak” movement that led to his predecessor’s resignation.
Protesters and rights activists boycotted the poll and stormed polling stations to protest the election while demanding a broader overhaul of the political system. Algeria is among more than 50 countries holding elections in 2024.