Parliamentary Election in Algeria: High Distrust, Low Turnout Expected

One new provision in the electoral law attracted particular attention. It allows for the exclusion of candidates based on assessments or suspicions, without a prior judicial conviction being required. According to the French newspaper Le Monde, hundreds of candidates were affected and rejected on controversial grounds. The mass screening was criticized as "political-administrative sealing off" and as a "political purge."

Dispute Over Electoral Law and Exclusions

The measures also affected candidates from the Hirak protest movement, which in 2019 swept then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika from office and had called for far-reaching political change. Since then, the political space in Algeria has not expanded, according to reporting. Human rights and press freedom are not considered priorities.

Algerian media, observers say, cannot report on all parties equally. Critics accuse the government of controlling political life and the media. Youcef Aouchiche, who ran as First Secretary of the socialist party Front des Forces Socialistes (FFS) and lost to President Tebboune two years ago, told the broadcaster tagesschau: "Dieses Klima hält die Bürger von politischer Betätigung und Ausübung ihrer Freiheiten ab."

Aouchiche, who held a campaign event in the province of Bouira southeast of Algiers during the campaign, also articulated his party's ambition: "Wir müssen das Ansehen des Parlaments als zweite souveräne Gewalt im algerischen Staat wiederherstellen." The FFS had boycotted the previous parliamentary election five years ago. Redouane Bouhidel, a political scientist in Algiers, said: "Die Menschen erwarten von den sogenannten gewählten Institutionen konkrete Lösungen für ihre Sorgen und Anliegen."

Power Dynamics and Foreign Policy References

In academic research, the Algerian parliament is regarded as largely powerless. Caterina Roggero of the Italian Institute for International Studies ISPI put it this way: "Man kann es kaum anders ausdrücken: Das Parlament ist fast schon nutzlos, weil die Macht sich immer mehr auf den Präsidenten konzentriert." Hasni Abidi stated: "Es gibt also Wahlen, doch die administrativen und politischen Bedingungen sind für die Opposition nicht gegeben, um eine transparente Wahl zu gewährleisten."

The campaign met with limited public interest by general assessment. Robin Frisch of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Algeria said that domestically there were significantly more contentious issues than in foreign policy: "Innenpolitisch gibt es deutlich mehr Streitthemen, vor allem sind das soziale Themen wie die hohe Inflation." President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who has led the country since 2019, also plans to travel to Germany in July to meet Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Algeria, the largest country in Africa by area, is an important oil and gas supplier and is currently benefiting from high energy prices. In addition, Algeria is rich in raw materials such as gas, solar energy, and fossil fuels. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck had pushed forward cooperation on green hydrogen. Economic relations with Europe and the United States are being expanded, while relations with neighboring Morocco remain tense.

Many observers assess the significance of the election as lying less in who wins than in how many people actually go to the polls. In a presidential system in which portraits of the president dominate public space, the vote is seen as a litmus test for the relationship between the state and society.

Algeria celebrates its independence day this summer; in June the country experienced a heatwave. The state subsidizes staple foods to safeguard social peace. Nevertheless, the mood among many citizens remains marked by frustration over the economic situation and political participation.