Algeria Votes for President this Weekend But With Inflation and Boycott, Few Appear to Care

Supporters of presidential candidate Abdelaali Hassani of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) party, react during his campaign rally, in Algiers, Algeria, 03 September 2024. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA
Supporters of presidential candidate Abdelaali Hassani of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) party, react during his campaign rally, in Algiers, Algeria, 03 September 2024. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA
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Algeria Votes for President this Weekend But With Inflation and Boycott, Few Appear to Care

Supporters of presidential candidate Abdelaali Hassani of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) party, react during his campaign rally, in Algiers, Algeria, 03 September 2024. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA
Supporters of presidential candidate Abdelaali Hassani of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) party, react during his campaign rally, in Algiers, Algeria, 03 September 2024. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA

Billboards are strikingly empty. There are few campaign posters. And aside from public television broadcasts showing candidates traveling the country, there are few signs of enthusiasm heading into Algeria's presidential election this weekend.
Prospective voters in the gas-rich North African nation say they are more concerned about prolonged inflation’s effects on the spiking prices of school supplies, potatoes and coffee. Military-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 78, appears poised to breeze to a second term.
“How can you expect Algerians to have any interest in the elections when life is hell on a daily basis?” asked middle school principal Noureddine Benchikh, who told The Associated Press he wasn’t really in the mood for politics.
The malaise is a far cry from the hopes of April 2019, when pro-democracy activists with the Hirak movement called for broad, structural changes to Algeria’s military-dominated political system after then-octogenarian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned under pressure.
Political apathy has reasserted itself among many prospective voters, while the country's fledgling opposition alleges that political elites who run the country have again entrenched themselves in power.
The country’s election authority has approved only two candidates to challenge Tebboune: 57-year-old Islamist Abdelaali Hassani Cherif and 41-year-old socialist Youcef Aouchiche, a former journalist running for a large center-left opposition party.
“It seems that what matters most to ‘le pouvoir’ in this election is voter turnout to lend legitimacy to their candidate, whose victory is a foregone conclusion,” said Algerian sociologist Mohamed Hennad, employing a term frequently used to describe the military-backed political establishment.
All three candidates have been urging citizens to vote. In the country of 45 million people, 23 million are registered. Candidates hope to improve on the 14% turnout of the 2019 elections, which protesters boycotted.
Activists in 2019 criticized authorities for hurriedly scheduling those elections that led to Tebboune, an establishment candidate seen as close to Algeria’s military, taking power.
Though Tebboune initially commended the Hirak movement's weekly protests and released some imprisoned activists, Algeria later banned protests during the COVID-19 pandemic. Opposition figures and journalists continued to face imprisonment and judicial challenges.
Though one candidate, Aouchiche, mentions human rights and political prisoners in campaign speeches, there’s an emerging feeling among Algerians that the election has not sparked an earnest political debate.
Opposition figures have criticized this vote as a rubber-stamp exercise, and some political parties have boycotted it rather than field candidates.
Activists and others have reported repression of perceived dissent. Dozens of people were arrested last month on election fraud charges, and three potential candidates were placed under court supervision.
Karim Tabbou, a leading figure in the Hirak movement who had been under judicial supervision for two years, was taken by police in an incident his wife called an “abduction.” They told him he was “forbidden to take part in any adversarial debate or to express his views on the elections or the political situation in general," his lawyer said.
Fethi Ghares of the Democratic and Social Movement — a now-banned political party — was arrested last week with two colleagues and later released and placed under judicial supervision, his pro bono attorneys said. Ghares and his colleagues face charges including publishing false information, hate speech and offending the president.
Lawyer Fetta Sadat said a judge had placed the group under an indefinite social media gag order while the charges are pending and told it to report to the court every 15 days.



Lavrov: Moscow Maintains Communication with Damascus, Will Not Withdraw from the Region

Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
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Lavrov: Moscow Maintains Communication with Damascus, Will Not Withdraw from the Region

Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to the Middle East, stating that Moscow “has not and will not withdraw from the region.” He emphasized ongoing communication with Syria’s new leadership and expressed readiness to support the political process in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov attributed Syria’s deteriorating situation to the previous regime, blaming its unwillingness to implement reforms and share power with the opposition.

“The refusal of the former Syrian regime to make any changes or share power with the opposition was one of the primary reasons for its collapse,” he said.

Lavrov noted that over the past decade, since President Bashar al-Assad requested Russian intervention in the Syrian war and the launch of the Astana peace process, Damascus had delayed advancing the political path.

“Despite support from Arab nations, Syrian authorities showed reluctance to move forward politically and sought to maintain the status quo,” he explained.

He highlighted Russia’s repeated calls for the Syrian government to engage with the Constitutional Committee, established during the 2018 Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, and to actively work on drafting a new constitution.

Lavrov also pointed to economic challenges exacerbated by sanctions, which have stifled Syria’s economy, and US control over oil-rich eastern regions. Resources were exploited to fuel separatist ambitions in northeastern Syria, he remarked.

Moreover, the FM revealed details of Moscow’s earlier discussions with Kurdish groups, reiterating his country’s position that Kurdish rights should be guaranteed within the constitutional frameworks of Syria, Iraq, Iran and Türkiye.

He argued that the previous Syrian regime’s reluctance to engage in political dialogue resulted in stalled reforms proposed by the United Nations, Moscow and Cairo platforms, and Istanbul-based opposition groups. This inaction, he said, created a vacuum that ultimately led to the collapse.

Furthermore, he dismissed claims that his country’s withdrawal from Syria would signal its departure from the Middle East.

“Russia has not and will not leave the region,” he declared. Without directly addressing the status of Russian military bases in Syria, Lavrov emphasized: “Our embassy never left Damascus, and we maintain ongoing communication with the authorities.”

He also stressed Russia’s willingness to facilitate inclusive dialogue involving all national, political and sectarian factions, as well as relevant international stakeholders. Lavrov underscored that recent discussions with Türkiye, Gulf nations, and other parties demonstrated widespread agreement that Russia and Iran must be involved in the Syrian peace process if sustainable results are to be achieved.

For his part, Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, reaffirmed Russia’s focus on developments in Syria, describing relations with Damascus as a “priority of Russian foreign policy.”

Reports on Tuesday suggested that Bogdanov might soon lead a Russian delegation to Damascus. However, a Russian diplomatic source informed Asharq Al-Awsat that no date for the visit has been confirmed. The visit, which was reportedly postponed, would mark the first by a senior Russian official to Damascus since the fall of Assad’s regime in December.

Meanwhile, media reports indicated that Moscow is facing logistical challenges in withdrawing military equipment from Syria, due to restrictions imposed by Syrian authorities on the movement of Russian ships in territorial waters.

According to the English-language edition of RT, the Russian ship Sparta 2, designated to transport military equipment and weapons, was denied entry to the Port of Tartus, where Russia maintains its only overseas naval base.