Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, ordered the holding of an early presidential election on 7 September 2024, instead of the scheduled December date.
The surprise announcement, which contradict the Algerian constitution that requires the election to take place a month before the end of the outgoing president, was made after a meeting of the country’s most senior government, military and security chiefs, as well as the heads of the legislative and judicial branches. In its decision and subsequent communiques, the Presidency does not provide any reason for this decision or whether the president will seek a second term. Legally, the mandate of President Tebboune expires on 12 December.
The announcement is indicative of the likelihood of political tension among the competing political stakeholders in the regime, specifically the presidency, the military chiefs and the country’s various intelligence agencies. The political parties, legislative and judiciary branches are largely irrelevant in the political process. There are two potential reasons for the decision: the first is about major geopolitical and security issues that are of imminent danger for Algeria. In the case, there are no clear factors that would push the president to speed up the election, despite tension with Morocco and Mali. The most likely scenario is one of a president who is no longer willing to run for a second term, amid opaque internal politics. Another scenario is that the president is planning to undermine the opposition by giving them a shorter campaign period that would take place in the middle of summer, a period that does not allow for efficient political campaigning. More on this to come.
