ALGIERS — Algeria's next election is Sept. 7, giving first-term President Abdelmajid Tebboune more than five months to campaign for a second term.
Tebboune's office announced the date Thursday after meeting with high-ranking Parliamentarians, the constitutional court, and its independent electoral authority.
Zoubida Assoul of the Union for Change and Progress is the only candidate to challenge Tebboune, who has not announced plans to run for reelection in the 44-million-person country with growing political and economic problems. As Algeria was scheduled to hold elections in December 2024, the statement surprised the nation and raised questions about why.
The 67-year-old lawyer, famed for defending political prisoners, announced her candidacy three weeks ago, saying she was “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 took office in 2019. He won a low-turnout election in December after a popular movement forced his predecessor's resignation.
To protest the election and demand a political overhaul, activists boycotted and stormed polling locations. Tebboune promised to meet with demonstrators and fight corruption after winning with a powerful general.
He initially freed some “Hirak” protesters, but Algeria has increased punishments for activists and members of its once-vibrant free press who oppose the government during the past four-and-a-half years.
Despite a natural gas revenue boost at the onset of war in Ukraine, its governmental expenditures and economy remain heavily dependent on oil and gas, and inflation, unemployment, and food shortages persist. Algeria is one of 50+ nations hosting 2024 elections.
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