Tebboune wins landslide victory for second term in Algeria

Abdelmadjid Tebboune is unsurprisingly securing another term at the El Mouradia Palace, a position he first assumed in December 2019. He officially won the early presidential elections held on September 7, with 94.65% of the vote, according to provisional results announced by the President of the Independent National Elections Authority (ANIE) on Sunday.

His two opponents, the only ones permitted to run, split the remaining votes: Islamist Abdelaali Hassani Cherif, the candidate of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), garnered 3.17%, while Youcef Aouchiche of the Front of Socialist Forces (FFS) received 2.16%. Voter turnout was reported at 48.03% across Algeria, and just 19.57% among Algerians abroad.

The MSP responded to Tebboune's overwhelming victory, criticizing «unacceptable administrative practices» by ANIE, citing alleged «pressure on polling station heads to inflate results» and the refusal to present candidates' representatives with vote count records.

Meanwhile, the Mouvement d'autodétermination de la Kabylie (MAK) declared a «total boycott» of the presidential election in Kabylia, claiming that turnout in the region was just 0.8%. According to the MAK, «over 99% of Kabyles boycotted the election» in line with their call.

The FFS, which once had a stronghold in Kabylia under the leadership of the late Houcine Aït Ahmed, participated in the election. In the 2019 early presidential election, Tebboune won with 58.15% of the vote, with a lower turnout of 39%.