Algeria President Tebboune Wins Re-Election With 95% Votes Amid Voter Turnout Controversy

Algeria’s incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been re-elected with nearly 95% of the vote, according to the country’s electoral authority, ANIE. Announced on Sunday, the results revealed that over 5.3 million people voted for Tebboune, accounting for 94.65% of the total votes cast. The 78-year-old leader was expected to secure a second five-year term, comfortably defeating moderate Islamist Abdelaali Hassani, who garnered 3.17% of the vote, and socialist candidate Youcef Aouchiche, who received 2.16%.

Tebboune’s re-election campaign focused on increasing voter participation after a record low turnout in the 2019 election, which saw over 60% of voters abstain. Despite this effort, ANIE did not disclose the total voter turnout from the 24 million registered Algerians. Provisional figures indicated an “average” turnout rate of 48%, a number met with skepticism and criticism from all three campaigns, including Tebboune’s.

Hassani’s campaign criticized the turnout as “strange” and accused the electoral authority of inflating the results, labeling the election as a “masquerade.” Concerns over electoral integrity and the credibility of the results were echoed by the other candidates.

While Tebboune’s victory was assured, his inability to secure the support of Algeria’s youth, who make up half of the country’s 45 million population, is seen as a significant challenge for his new term. Analysts suggest that Tebboune, despite his economic successes, now faces the task of addressing the lack of political freedoms and media rights that have led to widespread public disengagement from politics.