Karam Saeed‏‏

The Algerian presidential elections are set for September 7, 2024, with three candidates from diverse political backgrounds competing: President Abdelmadjid&nbsp;Tebboune, representing the current administration; Abdelaali Hassani, leader of the Islamist Hams Movement, advocating a pragmatic political approach that has helped him overcome the negative image of political Islam following Algeria's "Black Decade"; and Youcef Aouchiche, from the Socialist Forces Front, which traditionally participates in elections to maintain a presence in the political landscape and seeks to gain power in the future. The candidates are focusing on pressing issues critical to Algerian society, which require decisive and innovative solutions to address the country's domestic crises.Key IssuesThe nature and context of Algerian election campaigns indicate that the three candidates are highlighting some common pressing issues, as follows: 1- Addressing Economic Challenges: Economic promises dominated the electoral discourse of the country's presidential candidates, as the Algerian economy is suffering from deteriorating conditions, including the continued slowdown in the economic growth, and high inflation rates that reached about 5% by the end of the first quarter of 2024. The World Bank's expectations indicate that growth will continue to slow by the end of 2024 to reach 2.9%, in light of the decline in oil and agricultural production.The International Monetary Fund also warned in March 2024 of the risks surrounding Algeria's economic prospects in the medium term. In contrast, according to the World Investment Report 2024 issued by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), foreign direct investment flows to Algeria have declined over the past five years, reaching only about $84 million by the end of 2023. 2- Focus on social issues: Social conditions dominated the programs of the three candidates. Promises related to raising wages, providing job opportunities, providing housing, improving the health system, combating school dropouts, developing the agricultural sector, and supporting the development of remote areas occupied a significant part of the speeches of the candidates and their representatives in the electoral rallies.3- Dealing with complex security threats: The three candidates sought to employ security issues and challenges, especially regional tensions, as one of the electoral propaganda tools, by emphasizing that Algeria is now located in an arc of crises. These include the unrest in Mali, Niger, and Libya, which the candidates agree are "a source of threat to the Algerian national security."In light of this, the candidates' campaigns also addressed the political and security unrest in Libya and the West African region over the past years, noting its negative impact on Algeria's stability due to the resurgence of armed groups and terrorist organizations.4- Reconsidering the administrative division of the country: The presidential election candidates' campaigns largely focused on calling for a review of the country's administrative division in effect since 1984, which divides the country into 1541 municipalities, in a bid to enhance local development. This is especially important given the inadequacy of the current administrative division in meeting the country's economic and social needs.The three candidates agree on the need to create a new administrative division in order to find a balance between rural and urban municipalities, in addition to returning the strategic planning process for development from the central system to local bases. According to many estimates, the discourse of dividing municipalities is popular, especially in tribal circles that aspire for their narrow population centers to be independent states.5- Adopting demands for political reform: The three candidates agree on adopting demands for political reform in the country, such as unleashing press freedom, lifting restrictions on political activism, and combating corruption. Political reform in the country was also prominently present in the candidates' programs. While Tebboune continued to emphasize moving forward with the slogan "New Algeria", Youcef Aouchiche; the candidate of the "Socialist Forces Front", stressed the need to "impose a new vision and reform the general situation, whether political or institutional".He added in statements in July 2024 that his participation aims to work on changing the nature of the regime in Algeria, but in a peaceful and smooth manner, and through the consensus of all Algerians on sensitive issues, foremost of which is national security. He also stressed his keenness on the importance of building a semi-presidential system with a parliamentary orientation. Meanwhile, Hassani pledged to provide constitutional and legal reform, through the constitutionalization of criminalizing attacks on freedoms stipulated by law. He also underlined the importance of expanding the oversight mandate of the Parliament, in addition to institutional reform that deepens the state of law and justice.6- Strengthening popular confidence in political elites: The three candidates have emphasized in their campaigns the critical importance of societal engagement, political participation, and voting in the presidential elections, viewing it as the primary means to restore public trust in the political elite. This comes amid concerns about a potential decline in voter turnout in the September 2024 elections, fueled by a lack of trust and political communication among societal actors in Algeria, as well as the frustration of many sectors over the limited impact of the 2019 movement and subsequent elections, and the diminished prospects for meaningful change in Algerian society.The candidates’ campaigns focused on political participation in a striking manner, especially in light of the growing calls to boycott the elections to embarrass those in charge of managing the transitional phase, and to present the elections in an internationally unacceptable manner. 7- Interest in garnering youth support: Young voters represented a focal point of target across the three electoral programs. They represent about 40% of the voting bloc in the country. In addition, they are the ones who called for and carried out the 2019 movement. In light of this, the candidates strive to lobby for the support of this particular age group. They pledged to give youth the opportunity to support their projects. President Tebboune expressed in his electoral speeches the importance of strengthening the capacities of university students, while Aouchiche called for increasing the engagement of youth in Algerian affairs and to become agents of change. For his part, Hassani stressed the importance of empowering youth throughout. 8– Employing the Gaza Crisis: The presidential election campaigns paid significant attention to hot international issues, given their role in mobilizing voters and stirring the emotions of electoral blocs, with the Israeli war in Gaza being at the forefront. This was evident in President Tebboune's call in August 2024 to open the borders between Egypt and Gaza to establish three field hospitals in Gaza.This step was preceded by Tebboune's government submitting a draft resolution to the UN Security Council in February 2024 to ceasefire in Gaza. For its part, the ‘Hams’ movement sought to capitalize on the Gaza crisis electorally, as manifested in its participation in popular demonstrations authorized by the Ministry of Interior, in addition to its participation in a political bloc established in November 2023 to support the Palestinian cause and condemn the Israeli aggression. In a related context, the socialist bloc candidate widely criticized Israeli practices against civilians in the Gaza Strip.9– Continuing Political Escalation with Morocco: Strained relations with Morocco occupied a prominent place in the campaigns of the three presidential candidates. Morocco was portrayed negatively in the perspective of the Algerian presidential candidates, with hostility towards Morocco being the common denominator among them. While Tebboune accused Morocco in August 2024 of working to destabilize Algeria from within and being involved in the wildfires that struck the country in May and July 2024. The ‘Hams’ candidate, Abdelaali Hassani, accused Rabat of conspiring against Algeria through an alliance with Israel. In his election speeches, he also pointed out that the Moroccan regime has always conspired against Algeria historically.As for Youssef Aouchiche, the candidate associated with the leftist movement, he similarly sees threats surrounding the country and does not rule out Rabat's involvement. It is noteworthy that Algeria announced in early September 2024 the arrest of several individuals, including four Moroccans, on charges of belonging to a "spy network." This announcement came a few days before the presidential elections scheduled for September 7, suggesting an increased desire to exploit the dispute with Morocco electorally.10– Taking a Hardline Stance on the Western Sahara Issue: Similarly, the campaigns of the three candidates focused on the Western Sahara issue, as reflected in their strict positions towards Morocco and the countries supporting Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara region. For example, the three candidates sharply criticized France's decision issued on July 30, 2024, recognizing Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara and supporting the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in 2007 as the sole basis for resolving the Sahara dispute. In response to this decision, Tebboune announced the immediate withdrawal of Algeria's ambassador to France. Likewise, the Socialist Forces Front condemned the French position, describing it in a statement at the end of July 2024 as shameful and irresponsible.In summary, the electoral programs of the three candidates in the presidential elections set for September 7, 2024, exposed certain shortcomings. While they addressed pressing and intricate issues, they did so without proposing substantial solutions, concentrating instead on emotional topics that stir up the sentiments of their electoral bases. Overall, the candidates' platforms and electoral materials were broad and conventional, which helps explain the surge in boycott calls and the general apathy among Algerians towards the electoral process.

What Algerian Presidential Candidates Highlight in their Campaigns