Voting for the Algerian presidential elections continued on Thursday for the Algerian community residing abroad, amid increasing turnout at polling stations.
Polling stations for Algerians living abroad opened on Monday, with more than 800,000 voters invited. Voting also began on Wednesday in mobile centres designated for remote areas in a country with an area of more than 2.3 million square kilometres, most of which is desert.
More than 24 million voters in Algeria were called to head to the polls on Saturday in a presidential election in which incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is considered the favorite to win a second term.
In this regard, polling stations in many countries recorded a “remarkable increase and turnout” of members of the Algerian community, according to the Algerian News Agency, in order to choose the next president of the republic.
Three candidates are running to lead the country of about 45 million people, which is Africa’s largest exporter of natural gas.
Tebboune, 78, is considered the most likely candidate. He is running against moderate Islamist Abdelali Hassani Cherif and socialist Youssef Ouchich.
Tebboune enjoys the support of the parliamentary majority parties, consisting of the National Liberation Front, the National Democratic Rally, the Future Front, and the Construction Movement, in addition to independent representatives.
The electoral silence began at midnight on Tuesday after an election campaign that took place unusually in the summer amid extremely high temperatures, which led to a weak turnout at election rallies.
The candidates have appealed to young people, who make up more than half of the population, with promises related to social and economic issues, hoping to improve purchasing power and make the economy less dependent on hydrocarbons. At the international level, the three candidates show full support for the Palestinian and Sahrawi causes.
Tebboune stressed that he had already succeeded during his first term in correcting the country’s past mistakes and putting Algeria – currently the third largest economy in Africa – back on the right track despite the “war against the pandemic (Covid-19) and corruption” in the first two years.
In contrast, Tebboune’s rivals have pledged to grant Algerians more freedom. On the street, expectations vary. Some hope for an improvement in purchasing power as the new school year approaches, while others do not believe in any change and are indifferent to the electoral process.
But for many Algerians, the economic challenges are the most pressing concern, with many people talking about the rising cost of living.
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2024-09-05 20:51:27