Algerian authorities have declared President Abdulmadjid Tebboune the decisive winner of Saturday’s presidential election. According to official preliminary results released on Sunday, Tebboune secured 95% of the vote, eliminating the need for a runoff. Rival candidates Abdelaali Hassani Cherif and Youcef Aouchiche received 3% and 2% of the vote, respectively. Voter turnout was reported at 48%.
Hassani Cherif, a moderate Islamist, and Aouchiche, a moderate secularist, both had the backing of Algeria’s influential establishment but faced allegations of electoral irregularities. Cherif’s campaign accused polling station officials of being pressured to falsify results and reported issues with vote-sorting records and proxy voting.
Cherif’s spokesperson, Ahmed Sadok, denounced the election as a “farce” and claimed the actual vote count was significantly different from the official tally. Reuters was unable to verify these claims or obtain comments from Tebboune’s or Aouchiche’s campaigns.
In response to the controversy, all three presidential candidates, including Tebboune and Cherif, issued a joint statement challenging the provisional results. They cited “ambiguity, contradiction, vagueness, and conflicting numbers” in the announcement.
Tebboune’s re-election suggests a continuation of his administration’s policies, which include increased social spending funded by rising energy revenues. He has pledged to further raise unemployment benefits, pensions, and public housing initiatives. His first term saw increased subsidies and support for various social programs.
Ali, a resident of Algiers, expressed support for Tebboune’s economic policies, stating, “As long as Tebboune continues to raise wages and pensions and maintain subsidies, he will be the best in my eyes.”
Tebboune, who was first elected in 2019 following the “hirak” protests that ended Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s two-decade rule, has adopted a hardline stance against dissent, resulting in the imprisonment of several prominent critics.