Algerians question president for calling an early election without announcing his own campaign
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's surprise decision to schedule elections earlier than expected in Algeria is prompting suspicion and appears to be awakening discouraged political parties from a deep lethargy
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Like many of the elections in more than 50 countries voting this year, the upcoming presidential race in Algeria was supposed to be a sleepy affair.
With few viable opposition candidates capable of mounting a serious challenge, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune looked poised to sail to perfunctory victory and a second term.
But his March 21 decision to announce elections three months ahead of schedule surprised voters and reawakened the oil-rich North African country's political parties from a deep lethargy.
“Ma fhemna walou” — North African Arabic for “We didn’t understand anything” — has since trended on platforms like YouTube and Tiktok. Scrambling opposition parties have promised to put forward challenger candidates for the poll on Sept. 7. And all the while, Tebboune himself has not formally announced plans to seek a second term.
