Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will submit on Thursday his candidacy for the presidential election on September 7 at the Electoral Monitoring Authority.
Supporters of Tebboune have announced he will personally submit his candidacy at the Authority’s headquarters, accompanied by his influential inner circle’s legal and judicial affairs adviser, Boualem Boualem.
Boualem is expected to manage Tebboune’s campaign due to their close working relationship.
There is also talk that Prime Minister Nadhir Arbaoui might take on the campaign manager role.
Both Boualem and Arbaoui would need to resign from their government positions to avoid conflicts of interest.
Historically, the late president Abdelaziz Bouteflika chose Abdelmalek Sellal as his campaign manager for the 2009 and 2014 elections.
Sellal, a former Minister and Prime Minister, resigned before each election and returned to his post after Bouteflika’s victory. Sellal is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption.
An anonymous senior member of the pro-Tebboune Karamah Party told Asharq Al-Awsat that the distribution of signature collection forms to party activists is being coordinated directly with Boualem.
Sources from the Movement of Society for Peace told Asharq Al-Awsat that members of the party’s executive office will accompany their leader, Abdelali Hassani Cherif, when he submits his candidacy to the Electoral Authority, headed by former Justice Minister Mohamed Charfi.
Additionally, Youssef Aouchiche, the First Secretary of the Socialist Forces Front, and Saida Neghza, a businesswoman and President of the National Confederation of Employers, have scheduled appointments at the Authority on Thursday to submit their candidacies.
This indicates they have met the candidacy requirements, pending final approval from the Constitutional Court, which handles appeals if a candidate’s submission is rejected by the Authority.
