Algeria’s President Inaugurated for Second Term Following One-Sided Election

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was inaugurated for a second term following a landslide victory in an election that faced criticism for lack of enthusiasm and vote count discrepancies. The ceremony marking the beginning of Tebboune’s new five-year term was held at the People’s Palace in Club-des-Pins, a seaside resort near the capital city, Algiers. Tebboune’s opponents, Abdellali Hassan Cherif and Youcef Aouchiche, also attended the ceremony, which came after Algeria’s constitutional court confirmed Tebboune’s substantial win in the September 7 elections.

The constitutional court’s recounting of votes, which was disputed by all three candidates, ultimately solidified Tebboune’s victory. The results revealed Tebboune leading by a wide margin, with Cherif securing approximately 9.6% of the vote and Aouchiche receiving about 6.1%. Tebboune obtained 84.3% of the vote with 7.7 million votes, significantly surpassing his 2019 win in both votes and margin.

Despite criticism from government critics on the credibility of the election, Cherif and Aouchiche were faulted for their participation. The election was viewed as a strategic move by Algeria’s political elite to showcase a facade of democracy amidst broader political suppression. The three candidates focused their campaigns on encouraging voter turnout, urging citizens and especially youth to defy calls for a boycott.

The voter turnout for the election was reported at 46.1%, higher than the turnout recorded in the 2019 presidential election, which stood at 39.9% according to the court’s statistics.