Maghreb Edition

Algeria’s early legislative elections set for 12 JuneF

Posted On 11 March 2021

Number of times this article was read : 511
Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Thursday issued a decree setting June 12 for early legislative elections after he dissolved parliament last month, his office said.  Legislative elections were scheduled to be held in 2022, but Tebboune in February dissolved parliament and called for polls to be held before the end of the year as part of reforms.  Algeria, Africa’s fourth-largest economy, saw oil revenues collapse in 2020, with the International Monetary Fund predicting a 5.2 percent recession as the country also struggles with the Covid-19 pandemic.
As part of the reforms, Tebboune also released dozens of pro-democracy activists of the “Hirak” protest movement, which had forced his predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign in 2019.  The upcoming election of the lower house of the national assembly would be held on the basis of a new electoral law, which Tebboune also ratified on Thursday, a statement from his office said.  Last month Tebboune pledged that the election would be free of corruption, and would “open the doors of parliament to young people”, adding that they “must have political weight”. His remarks last month came on the eve of the second anniversary since the Hirak protests began.
The protests have seen as revival with renewed rallies across the country, after a halt early last year amid coronavirus restrictions.  Demonstrators are demanding a sweeping overhaul of the ruling system in place since Algeria’s independence from France in 1962, and an end to the military’s domination of the North African country. Tebboune, once a premier under Bouteflika, was elected on record low turnout in a December 2019 poll boycotted by the Hirak. He has reached out to the protest movement while also seeking to neutralise it.
In January, he signed the country’s new constitution into law after it was approved in a November referendum, also on record low turnout.  The new constitution was pitched as responding to the demands of the Hirak, but keeps in place Algeria’s presidential regime and expands the powers of the army, a central pillar of the state.
AFP

Subscribe to Urgent Notifications and Newsletter

Most Recent Stories from the Region

North African Countries Among World’s Cheapest for Gasoline, Lead Global Rankings$

North African countries currently rank among the cheapest places in the world to buy gasoline, according to international price data published in late April 2026. The global average pump price for gasoline stood at around $1.49 per liter, while several North African producers were charging less than half that level. Libya, Algeria and Egypt all sit among the most affordable markets globally — though two non-African countries, Venezuela and Iran, rank between Libya and the rest of the African group in the worldwide table.

Libya: A drifting Russian gas tanker threatens the Mediterranean$

Since March 3, 2026, the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz, 277 meters long, has been drifting off the Libyan coast. Loaded with 62,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG), 900 tons of diesel, and 450 tons of heavy fuel oil, it poses the risk of an environmental disaster for the Mediterranean basin. Amid repeated failures to tow the vessel, accusations of Ukrainian sabotage, and the powerlessness of Libyan authorities, the Mediterranean is on high alert.

Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.